The Korean Embassy in Greece and K-wave Greece hosted “K-WEEK” and “K-Wave Night: K-pop world festival in Greece” on October 5, at the Mikis Theodorakis Cultural Center in Argiroupoli. The dual event held from 17:00 to 21:00 and blended Korean traditional experiences with the global energy of the K-pop World Festival.
The K-pop World Festival is a global competition that takes place every year and it is organized by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and Korean Embassies around the world. It invites talented individuals to share their singing and dancing skills on stage. Each year, the winners of each country’s preliminary round have the chance to compete in the finals held in Changwon, Korea.
The first part of the event named “K-WEEK” was an interactive cultural fair that brought Korean traditions closer to Greek people. Visitors could try on colorful hanboks and capture the moment under traditional Korean lanterns, play the traditional game called “Tuho” and participate in educational activities about Korean heritage and history. At one booth guests tried writing Korean words like “첨성대” (Cheomseongdae: oldest astronomical observatory) and received small gifts.
Also, a Korean skincare booth by “Wabi Sabi Skin” gave guests a taste of K-beauty offering complimentary gift bags that included face masks, headbands and discount coupons. Just before the main event began, a K-pop random dance challenge formed outside the venue. Dozens of dancers joined in, showing off their choreography knowledge while cheering for one another.
At 19:00 the theatre opened its doors for the second part of the event “K-Wave Night: K-pop World Festival in Greece”. The venue filled to capacity in a blink of an eye, with over 400 attendees and even more seated along the aisles, excited to witness Greece’s regional K-pop final. The event was presented by Goldie Chatzitheodorou, Cultural Ambassador, K-expert and President of K-wave Greece, whose team has been leading Hallyu initiatives across Greece for over a decade.
After the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Hellenic Republic H.E. Ju-seong Lim delivered welcoming remarks, a total of 11 teams and soloists took the stage, offering energetic covers and dance routines to various K-pop songs that filled the venue with excitement and applause. The judging panel, composed of Korean and Greek experts, evaluated each team’s stage presence, interpretation and synchronization.
In the singing category, Nebula won first place, with “INVU” by Taeyeon while Adore Us took the top spot in the dance category with “ZOOM” by BADVILLAIN and O.cyan earned second place for choreography with “Bag Bad Back” by RIIZE. The winners received special gifts from the Embassy of Korea in Greece and the top performers now qualify for the preliminary round of the 2026 K-pop World Festival in Changwon, Korea.
This year’s first-place winners, Adore Us, are no strangers to the K-pop stage. The team proudly represented Greece at the 2023 Changwon K-pop World Festival in Korea, where they won the silver award among global finalists. The following are experts from an Instagram interview on October 13-25 with the winning dance group Adore Us who shared their thoughts on their journey, preparation, and what K-pop means to them.
1. Your performance of BADVILLAIN’s “ZOOM” had incredible energy and unity. How did you prepare for it?
We are really happy to know we left such a positive impression and we sincerely thank you for your interest in our preparation for the K-pop World Festival Greece 2025! When it was announced that the festival would finally take place in Greece, we had only a month to prepare as a team. As a result, we had to push ourselves much harder than in previous years. At the same time, we welcomed a new member who joined us just before we began preparing for the competition, so we had to quickly adapt rebuild our chemistry as a seven-member group. We practiced almost every day, for many hours, often late into the night, in order to deliver a satisfying performance of the choreography. Alongside that, we worked on our technique to ensure the final result would look as polished and harmonious as possible. Finally, we focused on our stage presence-making sure our energy and expressions were in sync and conveyed the same strength to the audience. Our teamwork, persistence and love for dance brought us even closer and helped us stand strong on stage.
2. What made you choose this song and choreography to perform on stage?
We chose “ZOOM” by BADVILLAIN because of its powerful and lively energy. The choreography is challenging and combines techniques that showcase our dance skills. As an all-girl team, we felt it perfectly matched our dynamic style and broke away from the idea of a typical “girl group dance”. We didn’t want to follow the idea that power automatically equals a “boy group” choreography. We believe “ZOOM” allowed us to prove that strength can be expressed in many different ways – and that girl groups can be just as powerful, energetic, and unforgettable on stage!
3. What was the most unforgettable moment for you on the night of the K-pop World Festival Greece final?
The most unforgettable moment of the night was our group hug the instant we heard we had won 1st place! We felt an indescribable mix of relief and emotion, as if all the effort and pressure of the past month had paid off in just a few seconds. We faced many challenges, but each of us gave her very best, which made the victory even more meaningful. For us, it wasn’t just a result – it was proof that all our hard work, persistence, and above all, love for what we do were truly worth it. We’re sincerely grateful to everyone who believed in us and supported us throughout this journey!
4. You’ve represented Greece on the K-pop stage several times. What does it mean to bring your country’s spirit into a global Korean culture event?
We are truly grateful for the opportunity to represent Greece on the K-pop stage. For us, each performance isn’t just about competing-it’s a chance to show that even from a small country like ours, great passion, talent, and respect for Korean culture can shine. Representing Greece in the global final of the K-pop World Festival in Changwon, Korea, in 2023 made this experience even more special, as it felt like we were carrying the voice of the Greek K-pop community to a worldwide audience. We hope our country gains more recognition in this field and that more dancers and teams who love K-pop get similar opportunities. Every moment on stage is a chance to prove that Greece deserves a place in the global K-pop community – and that through music and dance, “different worlds” can meet and inspire one another.
5. K-pop brings together people from all over the world. How has being part of this worldwide community influenced you as performers?
Being part of the global K-pop community has shaped us deeply, both as performers and as people. It’s given us the chance to be inspired by others who share our passion. Especially through the K-pop World Festival in Changwon in 2023, we formed unforgettable bonds in just 2 weeks with people who made that experience one of our most cherished memories. We are also truly grateful for the Greek K-pop community which has grown into something beautiful. Even though in competitions we may be “rivals”, those moments are temporary – what truly matters is our shared love for K-pop and the passion for dance that brings us all together!
