K-Pop diplomacy: First lady attends youth dance battle in Philippines
First lady Kim Hea Kyung attended a K-pop dance contest in Manila on Wednesday as part of her cultural diplomacy while accompanying President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to the Philippines, Yonhap reports.
Kim watched performances in the final round of "Everyone's KPOP: Battle of the Champions" held at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in the capital city, hosted by the Korean Cultural Center.
Lia Kim, a renowned South Korean dancer and CEO of 1MILLION Dance Studio, served as the judge for the final round, in which four teams compete.
At the end of the competition, Kim presented an award to the winning team and took photos with them. The team received round-trip airline tickets to South Korea and a training voucher at 1MILLION Dance Studio.
She also proposed that the host provide round-trip tickets to all four teams, drawing loud applause and cheers from participants and the audience.
"I can feel the enthusiasm among Filipinos for Korean culture," Kim said. "I heard that people here are learning Korean as a second language. I am surprised and proud that interest in Korean culture is leading to interest in the Korean language."
The event was arranged to encourage Philippine youth interested in K-pop and promote cultural exchanges between the two nations, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Earlier, it was reported that K-pop album exports had topped US$300 million in 2025 for the first time.