Preliminary round of Changwon K-Pop World Festival 2019 held in Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN - June 8, Preliminary round of Korean Popular Music Festival-Contest "2019 Changwon K-Pop World Festival" was held in the capital.
The event was organized by Korean Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan.
Young participants demonstrated their talents in two categories: "K-Pop Performance" and "K-Pop Vocal" in "Nomad City Hall" concert hall.
58 applications were submitted for participation in the preliminary round, 39 of which were submitted in the category "K-Pop Performance" and 19 - in the category "K-Pop Vocal".
According to organizers, the festival is held in Kazakhstan for the fifth time, the first festival was held in 2011.
"All the contestants who participate in the competition are very talented, they showed their amazing abilities and skills. It is no secret that the popularity of K-Pop is growing around the world and Kazakhstan is no exception. Kazakhstani youth are actively interested in K-Pop, learning independently about k-pop through the Internet, social networks and expressing their love," Director of Korean Cultural Center Lee Heran said.
Director of Korean Cultural Center also noted that due to the popularity of Korean culture, the number of people willing to learn Korean language is growing every year. If last year the number of students was 1000, this year there were 350 students in one semester only.
As director admitted, the most difficult task in the organization of the festival was to sel ect the participants of the tour.
"All contestants were prepared well and showed good performance, so it was very difficult to choose 11 teams from 58 applications.
We wanted to support and motivate our participants, so we invited special guests – the idol band from South Korea "New Kidd".
As the organisers of this event, we expect all the participants to show their best performance and move on to the finals," Ms. Lee Heran concluded.
At the opening of the concert, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Kazakhstan, Kim Daesik, addressed the audience and participants with welcoming speech:
"Korean culture is very diverse and we know how K-Pop is important to young people. While working here in Kazakhstan, I noticed that Kazakhstanis are no less talented than Koreans. That is why I want you to use your abilities correctly and glorify Kazakhstan for the whole world," Mr. Kim Daesik said.
The main part of the festival's program was dance covers. There were also vocal pperformances, all songs were performed in Korean. Invited guests "New Kidd" surprised the audience after all contestants showed their talents.
The main part of the festival's program was dance covers. There were also vocal pperformances, all songs were performed in Korean. Invited guests "New Kidd" surprised the audience after all contestants showed their talents.
According to the results of the jury, Aigerim Zhangeldinova won in "Vocal" category, performing the acoustic version of the song "DDU DU DDU DU" by Blackpink. Alena Tyo, who showed an energetic and colorful performance, won in the category of "Performance". 
Winners of the competition in both categories have the opportunity to take part in the video stage of the preliminary round "2019 Changwon K-Pop World Festival", which will be held in the Republic of Korea by reviewing video applications of the finalists of preliminary rounds from around the world. They were also awarded valuable gifts from Korean Cultural Center.
K-Pop World Festival in Kazakhstan is Changwon's K-Pop World Festival preliminary round, which takes place annually in Changwon (Republic of Korea) and gathers the strongest K-Pop teams and performers from around the world.
Dana Tugambekova
photo: Korean Cultural Center
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