The Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria (KCCN), headed by Director Jeon Ju-ho, successfully hosted the “2025 K-POP Festival” on Saturday, June 14, in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. This event served as the regional preliminary round to select finalists for the “KBS K-POP World Festival” to be held in Changwon, South Korea.
 
Nigeria has been one of the strongest contenders in the K-POP World Festival, with an impressive track record that includes the Encouragement Award in 2013, the Grand Prize in 2015, the Excellence Award in 2016, and the Story Prize in 2021. These accolades have demonstrated the country's talent and passion on the international stage.
 
This year, a total of 41 teams—including 11 dance teams and 30 vocal teams—participated in the online preliminaries. Among them, 8 dance teams and 10 vocal teams advanced to the final round in Abuja. The venue was filled with more than 400 enthusiastic audience members who cheered passionately throughout the event. Various side programs were also held, including a red carpet interview, photo zone, promotional video screenings of Changwon City and KCCN, souvenir giveaways, and information booths.
 
The judging panel included Korean vocal and dance instructors, along with Praise Nelson—a Nigerian dancer and Grand Prize winner of the 2015 K-POP World Festival who now serves as a Hallyu ambassador—ensuring a fair and professional evaluation. The instructors also performed a special online showcase, which heightened the excitement of the event.
 
In the dance category, “THE XTREME MOVEMENT” won first place with a powerful performance of Ateez’s “Ice On My Teeth.” In the vocal category, Mac-Whitney Myles took first place with an emotional rendition of Ailee’s “Everyone.” Judges praised the performances for their stage composition, choreography interpretation, pronunciation, and emotional delivery, noting that they were of a standard capable of competing in the finals in Korea.
 
Damina Luka, leader of the winning dance team, expressed his deep gratitude, saying that his team had prepared for months for this stage. He added that simply having the chance to compete in Korea through K-POP, which they love so much, was already meaningful—and winning an award made the moment even more special. He vowed to deliver her best performance if selected for the finals in Changwon.
 
The top two dance teams and the first-place vocal winner earned the opportunity to proceed to the 2025 K-POP World Festival auditions in Changwon. Upon passing the global video screening, they will be granted the chance to perform on the final stage in Korea.
* 1st Place Dance: THE XTREME MOVEMENT / 2nd Place Dance: Xtreme Dance Crew
* 1st Place Vocal: Mac Whitney Myles
 
KCCN stated that the event brought Korean and Nigerian youth closer together and reaffirmed its commitment to actively promoting sustainable cultural exchange in the future. Building on the success of this festival, the Centre aims to further expand cultural engagement with local youth through diverse Korean cultural contents, including K-POP.
 

For more information, please contact:

Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria (KCCN)
Abuja, Nigeria