GET your bongs ready, Kpop fanatics!
The year 2023 will be a blast for fans of Korean idols and celebrities as these prominent figures will be landing on Philippine shores in the first quarter of the coming year.
Starting off with fourth generation girl group ITZY, fans will be overwhelmed with a variety of concerts and fan meetings featuring bands and celebrities. These include The Rose, Simon Dominic, Loco, Gray, Leehi, Yugyeom, Kim Soo Hyun, Straykids, Kim Seon Ho, Choi Minho, Enhypen, MAMAMOO, Lee Jae Wook, BLACKPINK, and TREASURE.
To help fans keep up with the latest KCon and meet-and-greets, here’s a list of the upcoming KPop and Kdrama related events in 2023.
ITZY’s Checkmate World Tour
One of the most successful fourth generation KPop girl groups, ITZY has started its first world tour in promotion of its extended play Checkmate. ITZY’s Checkmate World Tour kicked off in August in Seoul, South Korea and is touring in 17 other stages in North America and Asia.
The five-piece group will perform in front of Filipino Midzys on January 14 and 15 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
ITZY is composed of members Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna, who debuted in 2019 under JYP Entertainment. They are famous for their hit tracks like ICY (2019), WANNA BE (2020), DALLA DALLA (2021), and Not Shy (2021).
The Rose Heal Together World Tour
The Rose is an indie-rock band composed of South Korean members Kim Woo-sung, Park Do-joon, Lee Ha-joon, and Lee Jae-hyeong.
On January 14, they will be hyping up the Filipino crowd with their bop discography including She’s In The Rain (2018), RED (2019), and Beauty and the Beast (2021). The Rose Heal Together Manila will take place at the SM North EDSA Skydome, 7 p.m.
AOMG World Tour
Composed of Korean soloists Simon Dominic, Lee Hi, Yugyeom, Gray and Loco, AOMG Follow the Movement World Tour will rock the stage at the New Frontier Theater on January 15 .
AOMG, an acronym for Above Ordinary Music Group, is an independent hip-hop label founded by Jay Park in 2013.
According to concert organizer Pulp Live World, the show will run for 3.5 hours.
Kim Soo-hyun Fan Meet
Kim Soo-hyun, the lead of the hit drama My Love From The Star, will be visiting his fans in Manila on January 17 for an exclusive meet-and-greet session hosted by Dunkin’ Donuts, which he endorses.
The fan meeting will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kim is also popular for his films and television series Thieves (2012), Secretly, Greatly (2013), Real (2017), Dream High (2011), and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020).
Stray Kids Fan Meet and Maniac World Tour
Stays, Stray Kids’ fandom name, will be having the time of their lives this 2023 as there will be two events that will feature the South Korean boy band.
Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. will be in the Philippines on January 20 for their meet-and-greet event with fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The group will later hold their Maniac Tour at the same arena on March 11 and 12 to promote their recent song releases.
Stray Kids debuted in 2018 under JYP Entertainment and is well-known for its songs God’s Menu (2020), Thunderous (2021), and CASE 143 (2022).
Kim Seon-ho Fan Meet
Hong-banjang is coming to Manila! The popular oppa from the Netflix series My Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha will be painting wide smiles on his fans’ faces on January 22 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Kim Seon-ho gained popularity through his exceptional acting skills in his dramas including 100 Days My Prince (2018), Run On (2020), Start-Up (2020).
Choi Min-ho Fan Meet
South Korean rapper, singer, actor, songwriter, and model Choi Min-ho from the boy band SHINee will meet Shawols at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on January 28. He will be the first artist from SM Entertainment to hold a meet-and-greet in the Philippines.
SHINee’s Minho is known for his acting career in To The Beautiful You (2012) and his current drama Fabulous (2022).
Enhypen Manifesto World Tour
KPop boy band Enhypen will be performing in a three-day concert in Manila for its Manifesto World Tour at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The seven-piece group is composed of Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki and will be setting the stage on fire on February 3, 4, and 5.
Enhypen is prominent for its singles Flicker (2020), Fever (2021), and Polaroid Love (2022).
MAMAMOO My Con World Tour
KPop’s vocal powerhouse will be doing its first world tour since its 2014 debut. MAMAMOO members will showcase their singing talent, choreography, and stage presence before Filipino MooMoos on February 12 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Composed of SOLAR, MoonByul, WheeIn, and Hwa Sa, the nine-year-old girl group has shown its spectacular talents with its songs Mr. Ambiguous (2016), Starry Night (2018), WANNA BE MYSELF (2020), and Illella (2022).
Lee Jae-wook Fan Meet
Korean drama Alchemy of Souls star Lee Jae-wook will be visiting Manila for his meet-and-greet with Kdrama fans on March 11. It will be at the New Frontier Theater.
Lee made his acting debut in the 2018 science fiction thriller Memories of Alhambra and charmed many viewers with his lead role in office romance television series Search: WWW.
BLACKPINK Born Pink World Tour
Blinks, the BLACKPINK fandom, will be seeing the four-piece girl group once again as they unleash their pink venom at the Philippine Arena for a two-day show on March 11 and 12.
BLACKPINK members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa first performed in Manila in February 2019 for their IN YOUR AREA tour.
The group is internationally known for songs DDU-DU DDU-DU (2018), Kill This Love (2019), and How You Like That (2020).
TREASURE Hello Tour
On April 15, KPop boy group TREASURE will be saying hello to Filipino Treasure Makers at the SM Mall of Asia Arena for their Hello Tour.
TREASURE debuted in 2020 under YG Entertainment with members Choi Hyun-suk, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Yoon Jae-hyuk, Asahi, Doyoung, Haruto, Park Jeong-woo, and So Jung-hwan.
Their popular songs include ORANGE (2021), BEAUTIFUL (2021), and DARARI (2022).
Banner courtesy: Roger Harris on Unsplash
