Abuja: Ms Yunjin Lee, the Programme Officer at the Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria (KCCN), has announced that the K-pop Academy will facilitate a music exchange between South Korea and Nigeria. Lee shared this development in a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, K-pop, a genre that blends various music styles such as pop, hip-hop, R and B, and electronic dance music, has seen a rise in popularity in Nigeria alongside K-dramas and movies. This popularity has prompted the Korean Cultural Centre to establish a connection between the two countries’ vibrant music scenes. The Programme Officer highlighted Nigeria’s status as an Afrobeat and dance powerhouse, while South Korea is renowned for its K-pop influence.

The K-pop Academy offers professional vocal and dance training through classes conducted by experienced teachers. These sessions, which last from three weeks to a month, focus on honing students’ singing and dancing skills while providing insights into the thematic elements of Korean music and choreography. Since 2024, over 200 Nigerian students have participated in the K-pop Academy, with some advancing to the World K-pop Competitions.

Ms Lee cited the success of Luka Damina, leader of ‘The Xtreme Movement Crew,’ as an example of the academy’s impact. The crew recently triumphed in a K-pop competition and earned a cash prize of N800,000. They also competed in the 2025 K-pop festival in Abuja, where they won the popularity prize after audience votes, receiving an additional N200,000. The group impressed the audience and judges with their distinctive dance styles.