K-pop groups NCT Dream, NOIR, and April headlined this year’s K-pop Friendship Concert held in Mall of Asia Arena last March 7.
The concert commemorates the diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Philippines and was hosted by Kring Elizano-Kim and Ryan Bang.
South Korea’s Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong Man welcomed everyone with a speech. He spoke of aiming to intensify the promotion of Korean culture in the Philippines as well as promoting Filipino culture to the Koreans residing in the Philippines.
OPM band Silent Sanctuary kicked off the concert followed by performances from NOIR, April, and NCT Dream.
NOIR gave a powerful dance performance with their songs such as “GANGSTA” and “Airplane Mode” and their version of BTS hit “Boy I Luv.”
The group’s leader Seunghoon greeted their Filipino Lumieres, “Thank you for coming here, let’s enjoy this concert together. Mahal kita, thank you!”
The beautiful girls of April enchanted their fans with their lovely voices and aegyo (cuteness) through their stage performances of “Oh! My Mistake,” “April Story,” and “TinkerBell.”
Lead vocalist Rachel told their Filipino Fineapples, “You guys are so supportive, so thank you so much.” The girls also said they want to try eating Pinoy street food to experience Filipino culture first-hand.
NTC Dream captivated their Pinoy NCTzen fans with their youthful charm when they performed “Chewing Gum,” “Go,” “My First and Last,” and “We Go Up.”
The boys thanked their Filipino fans for their support and complimented the Philippines’ warm weather. They also shared that they want to come back to the Philippines again soon. Group member Jaemin also said, “We want to thank our pretty Filipina fans for all your support.”
The K-pop Friendship Concert celebrates the 70th year of the Philippines and Korea’s diplomatic relations, and was made possible by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Embassy of The Republic of Korea in the Philippines, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, and Pulp Live World.
