Rap Monster, whose real name is Kim Nam-Joon, is a member and leader of the South Korean boy band BTS. (Photo : YouTube/Arirang K-pop)
Exciting details for one of South Korea's biggest global K-pop events were recently unveiled by KBS that included its line-up of judges, special performers and emcees. Organizers of the 2016 K-Pop World Festival tapped TV personality Shin Dong Yup, BTS Rap Monster and EXID's Hani to serve as its hosts for the event.
Aspiring artists and viewers will soon witness the on-stage chemistry of veteran host Shin with the two Korean musicians Rap Monster and Hani. A source from KBS shared in an interview with Korean news outlet News1 that the three celebrities have confirmed their participation as emcees for the 2016 K-Pop World Festival to be held on Sept. 30.
The global K-pop competition is set to unveil the talents of avid Korean music fans as they perform a cover of their favorite Korean group's hit tracks. For this year's annual event, talented fans from 65 countries joined the preliminary stage of the competition.
However, only 15 teams were chosen as the finalists for the upcoming festival. Lucky team contestants from Asian countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia, India and Indonesia will showcase their talents during the final leg of the competition. The other team finalists to join the upcoming event would be coming from countries such as Sweden, Italy, U.S., Nigeria, Russia and more.
Meanwhile, the members of the judging panel for the 2016 K-Pop World Festival was also revealed by the said KBS source. Seo In Young, veteran singer and producer Kim Jo Han, Black Eyed Pilseung and DJ Koo were recruited to choose the winning team among the finalists.
Apart from the global competition, the upcoming festival will also feature performances from some of South Korea's famous groups. Rap Monster's group BTS, as well as Hani's girl group EXID will perform during the event. The competition's other guests include TWICE, ASTRO, MONSTA X and more.
A broadcast of the said annual global K-pop competition will be aired on Oct. 16 on KBS2. Fans from outside Korea will also get the chance to watch the festival on KBS' global channel KBS World on the said date.
In other news, Rap Monster was featured in the band's previously released "Reflection" video, one of the clips from BTS' short film series titled "Wings." The storyline depicted in the said short film series are connected to the band's earlier "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life" videos, according to Soompi.
The short films are part of BTS' promotional activities to highlight the upcoming release of the band's new album. Watch the "Reflection" video below:
