I’m struggling to keep up with the things which are being packed in to the three-day extravaganza at Old Billingsgate in the City, which accompanies the State Visit of President Park Geun-hye. KOTRA and KOCCA, with support from KIDP and ARKO, are working around the clock to bring a kaleidoscopic expo featuring some of the best of contemporary Korea.
K-pop fans will be pleased to know that 2NE1 are going to be there in person, appearing live in a “ceremonial performance” and/or as holograms (yes, it’s said to be the world’s first K-pop hologram concert). Exact details aren’t completely clear at the moment, and it’s not certain you’ll get the chance to see them: it’s bound to be a popular event and seats are prebooked on a first come, first served basis (booking not yet open at time of posting). Early information indicates that they will feature on Tuesday at mid-day, but there are so many moving pieces here that things are bound to change. Keep checking KBEE London’s Facebook page for updates.
For me the exciting thing is that double Chelsea gold medal winner Hwang Jihae will have a garden there. I’m in touch with Hwang’s team and will be letting you know more about the garden as I get more details.
Percussion quartet Gong Myoung will also be performing – they’re now familiar to UK audiences and it will be good to see them again; there will be a fashion show featuring designs by PSY’s Gangnam Style costume designer; there will be events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire and celebrating 130 years of friendship between Britain and the Korean peninsula; a holographic K-pop concert; a fashion and beauty exhibitionan; an exhibition of products which demonstrate the convergence of Korean creative design and high-end technology; and an exhibition of Korea’s innovative contents such as animation, music and gaming products.
It’s a shame this huge event only lasts three days.
Here’s the official poster (click on it for a full-size version) and welcome message from the KOTRA President:
2013 Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo – London
The term “Hallyu”, or the “Korean Wave” refers to the phenomenon that Korea is becoming one of the most influential cultural forces of the world. The Korean culture, also known as the K-Wave has spread throughout the countries including the UK and Europe. There are hundreds of ‘fan clubs’ of Korean boy/girl bands in Europe alone, and the Korean rapper Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ was playing on the streets of Europe last year.
Now, South Korea wishes to show Europe that Korea has a lot more to show than just ‘K-POP’, promoting various creative industries of Korea. At KBEE 2013, you will have the opportunity to discover how the high-end technologies can be converged with various fields such as K-pop, fashion, design and arts. I hope that many visitors from the UK and Europe will be able to attend and explore what ‘Korean Wave’ is truly about at this year’s KBEE, London.
KOTRA, Korea’s government agency for trade and investment, serves as a direct gateway to many businesses that wish to build a lasting trade or investment relationship with Korea. I strongly recommend businesses of all fields including manufacturing, buying and licensing attend our one-on-one business meetings during the expo.
This year’s Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo 2013 will be held in November 4th – 6th at Old Billingsgate, London.
I wish to see you all there.
Yours Sincerely,
Young-Ho Oh
President of KOTRA
Links:
- www.facebook.com/kbeelondon
- Twitter @KBEELondon
- kbee.kotra.or.kr (Korean) | kbee.kotra.or.kr/home/2013/kbee/v2_eng (English)
- Old Billingsgate location map
(automatically generated) Read LKL’s review of this event here.