First lady attends K-pop dance contest for Philippine youth during visit to Manila
Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 17:50
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung speaks at a K-pop dance contest at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in Manila on March 4. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/04/4e6ffccb-491c-4f6f-b4d9-1e7ac581d8c1.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung speaks at a K-pop dance contest at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in Manila on March 4. [YONHAP]
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 on his state visit to the Philippines.
Kim watched performances in the final round of “Everyone's KPOP: Battle of the Champions” at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in the capital city, hosted by the Korean Cultural Center.
Lia Kim, a renowned Korean dancer and CEO of 1MILLION Dance Studio, served as the judge for the final round, during which four teams competed.
At the end of the competition, the first lady presented an award to the winning team and took photos with them. The team received round-trip airline tickets to 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.
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung, center, and K-pop dance teams pose for a photo during a K-pop dance contest at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in Manila on March 4. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/04/69e1c927-f19f-407d-bd54-9af18f6ad3b0.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung, center, and K-pop dance teams pose for a photo during a K-pop dance contest at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in Manila on March 4. [YONHAP]
“I can feel the enthusiasm that Filipinos have for Korean culture,” the first lady said. “I heard that people here are even 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 who are interested in K-pop and promote cultural exchanges between the two nations, according to the Blue House.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)