The Korean Cultural Centre India held the 'K-Dream Stage: All India K-Pop Grand Championship 2026' in New Delhi. The event, India's largest K-pop contest, was attended by 3,000 fans, First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, and Park Jin Young.
The Korean Cultural Centre India successfully hosted the 'K-Dream Stage: All India K-Pop Grand Championship 2026' at the Yashobhoomi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on April 20, 2026. Now in its 16th year since its inception in 2011, the grand event was organised at a large-scale venue and marked India's largest K-pop competition and served as a grand finale of the long-running 'All India K-Pop Contest.'
It was attended by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi Young; and Co-Chair of the Popular Culture Exchange Committee Park Jin Young, along with around 3,000 local Hallyu fans, creating an electrifying atmosphere.
A Night of K-Pop: From Dance-Offs to Grand Performances
The event was structured into pre-event, main event, and post-event segments. The pre-event featured a K-pop Random Play Dance led by seven leading dancers, where around 50 audience members freely joined in dancing near the stage, energising the crowd.
Official Remarks and Cultural Hopes
During the main event, welcoming remarks by Minister Chae Hwi Young were followed by a congratulatory message from First Lady Kim Hea Kyung. Minister Chae expressed his appreciation, stating that while he had long been aware of India's love for K-culture, seeing such a large and enthusiastic audience filled him with emotion. First Lady Kim remarked that she hopes the event would serve as a meaningful opportunity to further deepen and expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges between Korea and India, as per the press note by the Korean Cultural Centre India.
Contestants and Judging Panel
The main event began with the three performances in the vocal category Abhipriya Chakraborty, Shruti Dasgupta, Unnati Singh Bilwal, followed by the three in the dance category - MIXDUP, OUTKASTS, and 3Plus4Crew - each delivering a five-minute performance.
Judges, including Park Jin Young, Lee Woo Chang (HYBE India), and dancer Lip J, highly praised the participants' skills. Park Jin Young noted that the Indian contestants' Korean pronunciation and emotional expression were impressive, adding that while technique is important, connecting with the audience through genuine emotion is even more crucial.
Special Guest Appearances
The event also featured performances by invited artists X:IN (including Indian member Aria), Dhvani Bhanushali, and Younite.
During the awards ceremony, Park Jin Young personally presented the vocal category awards, while Minister Chae Hwi Young presented the dance category awards.
The post-event segment included interactive sessions between the artists and the audience, which received an enthusiastic response.
Celebrating Hallyu's Growth in India
This competition served as a grand championship featuring only the top 36 winning teams from across India over the past five years (2021-2025), with 25 teams ultimately participating in the final round.
Korean Cultural Centre India stated that it will continue to expand Korea-India cultural exchange through K-pop and contribute to the spread of Hallyu and the strengthening of bilateral friendship in India, as per the press note. (ANI)
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