The K-Link Festival will kick off at the Inspire Arena at Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, on Saturday as part of the government's promotional tourist initiative, Visit Korea Year 2023-2024.

Celebrating its second anniversary, this year's K-Link Festival will feature K-pop acts The Boyz, Riize, SHINee member Minho, aespa, NCT Wish, ITZY and tripleS. The festival anticipates 10,000 international visitors and 2,000 domestic spectators.


Landmarks such as Seoul's five major palaces — Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace, Changgyeong Palace and Gyeonghui Palace and Busan’s Gwangan Bridge will serve as backdrops for the stage during these groups' performances, further enhancing the festival's appeal.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, the event's organizers, will leverage the festival to promote Korean culture. They will run promotional booths starting at 1 p.m. to offer visitors a taste of what's to come before the main event kicks off at 6 p.m.

This pre-festival event include a K-Performance Zone showcasing up-and-coming artists, a K-Play Zone with photo booths and virtual reality dancing, a K-Content Zone featuring hanbok (traditional Korean dress) and games and a K-Link Zone dedicated to promoting Korean tourism.

"This event, organized on the occasion of the 'Visit Korea Year 2023-2024' campaign, is significant as it brings together approximately 10,000 foreign tourists who love Korean culture. It has served as a platform to introduce various aspects of Korean culture, including K-pop, beauty and traditions," said Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jang Mi-ran. "We will continue to fuse our unique content with tourism to attract foreign tourists and provide a diverse range of attractions and things to do. Our goal is to make Korea a must-visit destination and a country that people want to revisit."


BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]