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Still images from the \u201c2025 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan\u201d held at Japan’s National Stadium in Shinjuku on Dec. 13 and 14 [KOREAN BROADCASTING SYSTEM]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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A K-pop concert was held for the first time at Japan\u2019s National Stadium, the country\u2019s largest venue, over the weekend. \u00a0
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KBS announced that it hosted the \u201c2025 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan\u201d over two days from Saturday to Sunday at the National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
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With a maximum capacity of 80,000, the National Stadium is considered one of Japan\u2019s 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.
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KBS President Park Jang-beom said the event reflected the evolution of Hallyu, which began with the drama \u201cWinter Sonata\u201d (2002) and later expanded through K-pop, culminating in the first-ever K-pop concert at the National Stadium.
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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.
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The concert, themed \u201cGolden Road,\u201d was designed to showcase the history of K-pop in a single program. Rookie group Hearts2Hearts performed Girls\u2019 Generation\u2019s \u201cGenie\u201d (2009) to Japanese fans, while girl group izna performed Kara\u2019s \u201cPretty Girl\u201d (2008). Cortis, a group just four months into its debut, covered BTS\u2019s \u201cMic Drop\u201d (2017). \u00a0
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To mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Korea and Japan, Snow Man \u2014 one of Japan\u2019s most popular groups \u2014 appeared as a special guest, lighting up the stadium with a fireworks show.
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The Japan concert will air on KBS 2TV at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 30.
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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.<\/i>
BY KIM HYUN-YE [[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n