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| Park Gi‑hwal said K‑pop is now a shared cultural language around the world, and announced he would formally declare an era of a Cultural Olympiad platform connecting 120 countries. / Photo=K‑POP World Federation |
Organizers say K‑pop has moved beyond mainstream pop music and is positioning itself as a \"Cultural Olympiad\" platform to connect audiences worldwide.
On March 28 at 2 p.m., the SETEC Convention Center in Seoul hosted a book launch for K‑POP Olympic Declaration, the inaugural meeting to launch the global KCOC (K‑POP Cultural Olympiad Committee) and the 9th K‑POP AWARDS Hallyu Cultural Contribution Award ceremony, organizers announced April 3.
◇ Culture as Civilization: K‑pop Declares a Paradigm Shift
The centerpiece of the event was a new book by Park Gi‑hwal, president of the K‑POP World Federation, titled K‑POP Olympic Declaration. In the book he frames K‑pop not merely as a content industry but as a form of civilizational infrastructure, laying out a vision for a global cultural platform that transcends national, racial and religious boundaries.
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| Winners pose for a commemorative photo after the 9th K‑POP AWARDS Hallyu Cultural Contribution Award ceremony. / Photo=K‑POP World Federation |
◇ From Concerts to a World Cup–Style Cultural Competition Platform
The organizers say K‑pop will evolve from concert‑centered shows into contest‑driven formats. The proposed contest‑based Cultural Olympiad model would include national team‑style auditions, league‑based championships and globally participatory competition structures. Observers describe it as a third type of global festival — culture‑centered rather than sports‑centered like the Olympics or the World Cup.
◇ 120 Countries and Counting: Global KCOC Officially Launches
KCOC aims to recruit 120 member countries and is planning a world congress on November 11, 2026, as it expands a network for cultural diplomacy.
KCOC members from about 30 countries attended the SETEC event, along with diplomats and ambassadors from 11 countries, marking the first official launch of this private global cultural diplomacy platform.
Notably, Australian Ambassador to Korea Jeff Robinson and his wife Eunyoung Robinson; Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Anne Kari Hansen Ovind and her husband Tom Oscar Ovind; and Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima and his wife Asako Mizushima attended as couples, underscoring the K‑POP Olympic concept's emphasis on international solidarity and harmony.
The guest list included prominent figures from politics and civil society. Their presence — including Park Hee‑young, honorary president of the K‑POP World Federation; Ahn Se‑hwan, standing chair of the K‑POP Olympic Committee; Kang Su‑wan, president of the Korea Voters Central Association; Kim Yong‑ju, president of the Daegu‑Gyeongbuk Residents Association in Seoul; and Nam In‑hee, chair of Dream Cruise Co., Ltd. — lent credibility to efforts to host the K‑POP Olympics and broaden the reach of the Korean Wave.
◇ 9th K‑POP AWARDS Held Simultaneously
On the same day, the organizers also presented the 9th K‑POP AWARDS Hallyu Cultural Contribution Awards to individuals recognized for spreading Hallyu internationally.
Park Gi‑hwal said, \"K‑pop is now a common cultural language embraced around the world,\" and pledged, \"We will officially usher in an era of a Cultural Olympiad platform linking 120 countries.\"
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| At Seoul's SETEC Convention Center, organizers staged the K‑POP Olympic Declaration book launch, the global KCOC launch and the 9th K‑POP AWARDS Hallyu Cultural Contribution Award ceremony concurrently. Participants pose for a commemorative photo. / Photo=K‑POP World Federation |
