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Title Hallyu Com-On Union in a K-Pop Flash Mob in Trafalgar Square... PSY’s Legacy Revived amid Cheers of 20 Thousand Spectators
No 77 Inquiry 1687 Date 2015/09/18

The 'Hallyu communities' that have spread the Korean Wave have come together. '2015 Halllyu Com-On Project' was held from August 8th (Sat) to 9th (Sun) in Paris and London as the fan clubs and Hallyu communities around the world came together to plan and enjoy an event of their own. The 'Union' project was intended to strengthen the network between the previously disparate communities and allow continuous attention to the Korean culture. This occasion marks the first occasion of independent Hallyu communities worldwide to plan and support a unified project.

 

 

 

The ‘Hallyu Com-On’ Project in Britain took place on August 9th (Sun) on Trafalgar Square, featuring ‘K-POP flash mob performances from PSY to BIGBANG’. ‘Hallyu Com-On Project Team’, sponsored by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE), participated through a flash mob performance involving 150 members before the appearance of f(x) in the ‘London Korea Festival’, an event held under the auspice of Korea Culture Centre UK, Korea Culture and Content Agency, and Korea Tourism Organization. Kick-starting their performance with a surprise video message from PSY, the team thrilled the crowd with their repertoire starting with PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’, 4minute’s ‘Crazy’, f(x)’s ‘Red Light’, and ‘Bang Bang Bang’ by BIGBANG.

The team also engaged in promotion activities for the festival in double-deckers around the major sights like Big Ben or Tower Bridge, and also held a K-POP dance workshop for the festival with a major Korean B-boying crew, ‘Jinjo Crew’. The project leader, Tammy Jane of ‘Team Loko’, commented that “along with the various communities in Britain, like DGC or Treason, we planned this event for the local K-POP fans to take part in the festival.”

 


In France, to celebrate the ‘130th anniversary year of Korea-France bilateral relations’, the ‘Hallyu Com-On Soirée’ was held in the fusion of French Soirée and Korean pop culture. Despite being held in the vacation season, a period of importance nationwide, unified effort by the largest Hallyu communities in France, ‘Bonjour Corée’ and ‘Kajian’, allowed the event to succeed beyond all expectations, with 200 fans participating.
Featuring four kiosks, ‘K-Food', 'K-Pop', 'K-Traditional Art‧Game', the first of which drew enough crowd for the waiting time to exceed 30 minutes, the event also included a performance by the 3rd place winner of the K-POP contest held by Centre Culturel Coréen à Paris, and K-POP quiz contests. A participant of the event, arriving early to beat the crowds, commented “I initially enjoyed K-POP and drama, but now I think I like Korea as itself. I’ve went on a trip to Korea a few years ago, and I would very much like to visit it again.” The project was held in Centre Culturel Coréen à Paris on August 8th (Sat).
‘Hallyu Com-On Project’ plans to expand its area of operation to include community events between neighboring nations and service regional areas through ‘Hallyu Com-On Tour Project’, and establish a basis for continuous expansion of Korean Wave and support of community-drive initiatives.