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Rang De Korea, India's biggest Korean cultural festival, became a huge hit among Korean culture fans in India. The event took place on October 15 and 16 at Dlf Avenue, Saket, Delhi, organized by the Korean Culture Centre India. The event was organized to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Korean Culture Centre India.
Rang De Korea Day 1's major highlight was the enthralling performances by K-pop girl group BugAboo, and Korean artists K-Tigers and ID Fusion Band. Day 1 of the festival brought together a diverse crowd representing all ages who majorly love K-pop, K-drama, K-food, K-fashion, and more.
Sportskeeda SK Pop's Kumari Khushboo has also interviewed fans, organizers, and officials at the event to learn more about their experience at the biggest Korean event in India. The event was led by an opening speech by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India Chang Jae-bok and chief guest Shri Kumar Tuhin, Director General, ICCR.
The event featured many Korean cultural exploration events, including Korean food by the Korean Culture Centre's Dalgrak and also Seoul restaurant. It had a flea market and also had products such as K-pop official merch, and K-Beauty products. Fans enjoyed the biggest Indo-Korean festival of 2022 in India.
"Indian people, particularly youth, are better aware of Korea and its multi-hued culture": Rang De Korea Day 1 win hearts in India
India's major Korean festival Rang De Korea, has made it possible to bring diversity to the audience. Let's take a look at the event that has given many precious memories to the fans following the two years of the pandemic.
The Rang De Korea festival started with the lighting of the lamp by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India Chang Jae-bok and chief guest Shri Kumar Tuhin, Director General, ICCR.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India Chang Jae-bok has spoken about the evolution of Korean culture in India over the past ten years and mentioned that the youth of India have loved Korean culture over the years and the fandom has only grown.
Chang Jae-bok also expressed their heartfelt thanks to the Indian Hallyu fans for supporting the event and the Korean wave in India. He also mentioned:
"Indian people, particularly youth, are better aware of Korea and its multi-hued culture."
Rang De Korea Festival Day 1 kicked off with a traditional Korean instrument called Samulnori and Haegeum performance. The event saw a unique ceremony. It was the first traditional Korean wedding ceremony that happened in India on a huge scale for real-life couples.
Two couples have been chosen for the ceremony, among many who applied a few days before the Rang De Korea event by the organizing committee. On Day 1, Indian couple Vishal Gupta and Jyoti Gupta got to have a traditional Korean wedding ceremony on the big stage.
The Korean culture enthusiasts' first experience of attending such a unique wedding ceremony was successful as hundreds of people seemed to enjoy it. Rang De Korea event then took an interesting shift, focusing on both culture and entertainment with the Korean artist K-Tiger's Taekwondo performance.
The artist's team was initially founded for the team's demonstrations, which tended to emphasize only taekwondo and acrobatic tricking. But over time, the team is now popular for blending dance and music into their routines as well, particularly K-pop.
K-Tigers have also performed in popular K-pop hits including BTS’ IDOL, Butter, I Need U, That That by PSY and BTS’ SUGA, ITZY’s WANNABE, and IVE’s ELEVEN. Their incredible performance with a mix of taekwondo and K-pop stunned fans and led to them grooving to the beats.
After K-Tigers, the Indian Taekwondo Team also performed that received a huge round of applause as well. The K-Tigers and the Indian Taekwondo also called on the interested audience to try Taekwondo moves while teaching them. If the move is successful, the audience will be given prizes.
While showcasing a cultural exchange between Korea and India, another group with an Indian Classical dance performance amazed fans.
The next performance was by ID, which is a Korean fusion music band that blends traditional Korean music with western music tunes. Fans who even saw the ID Fusion band for the first time seemed to groove to their music. The band started with soothing music and then led to rock music. The versatility indeed sent the audience into a frenzy.
After the performance, fans were even seen getting autographs from the band members as they totally appreciated their music and performance. Meanwhile, ID Fusion Band will also be performing in Chennai, India. Fans who missed the band’s performance can also mark their calendars for the performance in Chennai.
The most awaited part of the Rang De Korea Day 1 event took place afterwards, which was K-Pop girl group BugAboo’s performance. The rookie girl group members are Eunchae, Yoona, Rainie, Cyan, Choyeon, and Zin. The group made its debut on October 25, 2021, with the release of its single album.
The group performed on both days and also seemed to be enjoying their time at the Rang De Korea event in India as they said in one of their speeches. The girl group’s performance was power-packed with perfect dance moves, vocals, and visuals. The audience seemed enchanted with the girl group’s performance of the songs, including their debut title song, BugAboo and Cherry Bomb by NCT 127.
Fans even wished the girl group would return to India as they flooded the girl group’s social media comment section with messages. Rang De Korea Day 1 concluded with the Hanbok fashion show directed by Samuel Chung, vice president of the Korean Culture Promotion Association.
Traditional Korean clothing stunned the audience as they witnessed the colorful and embroidered Korean fashion.
Samuel Chung personally designed and directed the fashion show in India with his own designers and directing team from Korea. Other events also happened, including the K-pop Flash Mob where the audience dances in groups to the music which is played randomly. Fans were seen as extremely enthusiastic about the K-pop flash mob event.
No matter if you’re a Non-dancer or a professional dancer, the K-pop flash mob is a platform for everyone to showcase their love for K-pop dance choreographies. Fans danced to songs including BTS' boy with love, Pink Venom, Shut Down by BLACKPINK, BANG BANG BANG by BIGBANG, What is Love? by TWICE, IVE’s ELEVEN, That That by PSY, and BTS’ Suga.
There were also stalls that gave an exploration ride to Korean culture lovers including Korean Calligraphy and a Korean naming event where you can get your Korean name on the spot.
Rang De Korea also had Korean food stalls including dishes such as Korean spicy ramyeon, Tteok-bokki, Japchae by Dalgrak, and Seoul restaurant. The Korean flea market included the exhibition by KCC.
The K-pop official and unofficial merchandise stalls included photo cards, stationery, key chains, badges, and figures sold by various young entrepreneurs. Fans loved the stalls and appreciated the reasonable prices that even young K-pop fans could afford. Numerous famous Korean brands also had their stalls for fans including Lotte, Orion, and Innisfree.
"India has finally seen Korean cultural fans of all ages": Rang De Korea Day 1 proves that enjoying art is beyond boundaries and ages
Sportskeeda SK Pop's Kumari Khushboo got a chance to interview fans, organizers, and officials who reflected on the true experience of the event and how the Hallyu wave is paving the way in India.
It was the first time that an Indo-Korean event had people of all ages enjoying the event. The event had parents, kids, teenagers and youth enjoying the best of Korean culture.
Kim Kang-hun, the Head of PR and Media from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, shared his experience of organizing the event and who was also the host of the event. He mentioned:
"We have been preparing for this event for 4 months for the 10th Anniversary of Korean Culture Centre India. It has been great so far. The Korean wave in India has been spreading majorly because of K-pop and K-drama. It's really great to see the culture growing in the country. We hope that for the next 10 years we will be able to spread Korean culture in India."
Sportskeeda SK Pop's Kumari Khushboo asked Kim Kang-hun, the Head of PR and Media from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea:
Q) Is there anything in particular that you are focusing on for the next 10 years’ goal in India?
The Head of PR and Media from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea replied:
"We hope just like K-pop and K-drama, we will be able to spread Korean culture even more and bring such events that will strengthen the ties between the two countries. We hope that people will explore more sides of Korean culture in India in the coming years."
We also spoke to Anamika and Uma who are the Founders of a K-pop merchandise brand called Purple Shop Official. The young female entrepreneurs had quality and reasonable photocards, among other merch. They shared their experiences and the response from the fans:
"The fans are really sweet and we are having a great experience here. It's Day 1 of the stall and the response is up to our expectations. This is our startup and we hope to get more exposure in such a large-scale K-pop event."
When asked if they are also K-pop stans, they replied yes in the most enthusiastic voice. They added:
"We stan BTS and therefore we are here sharing this happiness with everyone."
Another passionate young female entrepreneur was Surbhi, an arts student who sells self-made K-pop idols' portraits with the brand name AVV Creative. In the event, it was evident from her enthusiasm that she was a multi stan and when we asked which group she follows, she said 'everyone!!'
She spoke about her experience at the event Rang De Korea:
"I am having a really good experience and it's my own work that I am selling. The response from the fans has been really good. We got to see the performances as well and we are enjoying being part of such an event."
In the event Rang De Korea, one could spot fans of all ages. The diversity of fans has also showcased how well the Korean wave is spreading in India and defined that it's not an age centric culture. More fans have also shared their experiences and what they think of the Hallyu wave growing in India so drastically.
A 9-year-old K-pop fan named Bhawna shared:
"I follow BLACKPINK and I am really enjoying the event"
Her 11-year year old sister Gunjan said:
"I am a fan of BLACKPINK too and I am having a good experience in the Korean event. I really liked the performances as well."
A 13-year-old K-pop fan, Rakhi, mentioned:
"I follow BLACKPINK and BTS. I am here with my teacher. It's really great to attend such an event where we can see Korean groups performing live."
Another fan, ARMY, and a hardcore GOT7 fan Apoorba shares:
"It was an incredible experience. We finally had such a major Korean event in India and it was breathtaking. The K-Tigers, Kingdom and BugAboo were really amazing. Kingdom was really sweet too. I have been following K-pop for many years and in the past I wouldn't have believed that I could see such a grand scale Korean event with such a big crowd."
When asked what she thinks of the Hallyu wave finally growing in India. She mentioned:
"I am really happy that it's finally happening. I hope BTS will also come soon to India and more groups. The fans are growing in numbers and I feel the day is very close when we will be able to see many K-pop groups coming. I was also surprised to witness such a diverse audience at the event."
She added:
"India has finally seen Korean cultural fans of all ages."
There were also many fanboys at the event.
Fanboy Manish shared his experience:
"I am a BLACKPINK and BTS fan. It was my first ever live korean event. Had so much fun here. All the performances were amazing, especially BugAboo and KINGDOM, they literally rocked the stage. Last but not least, the "Hanbok fashion show" stole my heart. Hoping to see them again very soon. Thank you KCCI for this wonderful experience. Borahae!"
Fans have shared their enthralling experiences of the biggest Indo-Korean event 2022 Rang De Korea Day 1 and look forward to the groups coming to India very soon.
Fans have also been seen in Korean-inspired looks at the event, wearing outfits similar to what K-pop idols wear. While it was surprising to have such a diverse crowd on day 1 itself. Day 2 of the festival was even more anticipated for fans with an additional line-up of artists KINGDOM performing.
The fans' experience plays a huge role in organizing such events and helps organizers give a better experience and the possibility of future Korean events to happen in India.
Did you attend Rang De Korea? Let us know your experience in the comments section and what you would like to see in the upcoming events. Stay tuned for more Korean event coverage.
