A K-pop concert was held for the first time at Japan’s National Stadium, the country’s largest venue, over the weekend.

KBS announced that it hosted the “2025 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan” over two days from Saturday to Sunday at the National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo.


With a maximum capacity of 80,000, the National Stadium is considered one of Japan’s most exclusive concert venues, typically reserved for top-tier artists such as boy band Snow Man and pop duo Yoasobi. This marked the first time a K-pop concert was held at the venue. Featuring leading Korean idol groups, the event sold out 60,000 seats per day, totaling 120,000 tickets over two days.

KBS President Park Jang-beom said the event reflected the evolution of Hallyu, which began with the drama “Winter Sonata” (2002) and later expanded through K-pop, culminating in the first-ever K-pop concert at the National Stadium.

Actor-singer Lee Jun-young and IVE member Jang Won-young served as hosts for both days. Boy bands Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen, BoyNextDoor and girl group ILLIT performed on the first day. On Sunday, Yunho, Stray Kids, NiziU and IVE took the stage.

The concert, themed “Golden Road,” was designed to showcase the history of K-pop in a single program. Rookie group Hearts2Hearts performed Girls’ Generation’s “Genie” (2009) to Japanese fans, while girl group izna performed Kara’s “Pretty Girl” (2008). Cortis, a group just four months into its debut, covered BTS’s “Mic Drop” (2017).

To mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Korea and Japan, Snow Man — one of Japan’s most popular groups — appeared as a special guest, lighting up the stadium with a fireworks show.

The Japan concert will air on KBS 2TV at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 30.



This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HYUN-YE [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]