Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae: 'We will keep creating cultural content'
Hanam city and the Hanam Cultural Foundation will host the "2026 Global K-POP Dance Challenge in Hanam" every Saturday from Oct. 24 to Nov. 7 in and around Misa Culture Street and Misa Lake Park.
The festival is expected to transform the Misa area into a K-pop celebration, with passersby drawn in by music drifting from Misa Culture Street and joining spontaneous dance gatherings.
A highlight of the closing day on Nov. 7 will be the participation of J BLACK, one of South Korea's leading dancers and choreographers, who will serve as a judge at the global dance competition. J BLACK recently drew attention for contributing choreography to the opening sequence of A2O LITE's "NEON," and his involvement is expected to raise the competition's profile while giving K-pop fans an added attraction.
First held last year, the event this year carries the slogan "Shake Up Hanam" and has expanded its lineup of participatory programs. On top of performances by domestic and international K-pop dancers and artists, the festival will feature a random-play dance segment and a global dance competition, blending the cast and the public in a shared celebration.
The opening event, "Hanam, Shake Up the Nation," will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Misa Culture Street, featuring K-pop dance team performances alongside sets by artists ARISE and TIOT.
The following Oct. 31, "Hanam, Shake Up the World" will take place at 2 p.m. in front of the Misa C3 Mono Lounge shopping area, with global dance teams and artists taking the stage. Both events will include a random-play dance open to all attendees. The performing artists for Oct. 31 and Nov. 7 will be announced as surprise reveals before each event.
On the festival's final day, Nov. 7, a global K-pop dance competition will be held on the lawn plaza of Misa Lake Park. Sixteen teams from South Korea and abroad, selected through online preliminaries, will compete for top honors, with winners chosen through a combination of professional judges' scores and on-site audience votes.
On that day, hands-on programs including K-pop merchandise making and face painting will run from 11 a.m. at the venue. The competition begins at noon, followed in the afternoon by K-pop artist performances and a random-play dance session open to all.
The registration deadline for the global K-pop dance competition has been extended to 5 p.m. Sunday. Teams of four or more may enter regardless of genre — K-pop dance covers, street dance, choreography and more are all welcome. Full registration details are available on the official Instagram accounts of the Hanam Cultural Foundation and Dinga Dinga Studio.
Hanam city said it hopes the festival will give residents easy access to K-pop and diverse cultural experiences in their daily lives, while injecting energy into the Misa Culture Street and Misa Lake Park area and supporting the local economy. The city plans to develop the event into a signature regional cultural festival by drawing together domestic and international dancers and K-pop fans through participatory programming that showcases Hanam's appeal.
"I hope this festival gives residents a chance to share the joy of music and dance in their everyday lives, and brings more foot traffic and vitality to the Misa area," Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae said. "We will continue to create cultural content that lets citizens enjoy culture close to home and spreads the word about what makes Hanam special."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
