Billboard celebrated the launch of Billboard Korea with style Tuesday (Aug. 27), honoring numerous K-pop trailblazers and bringing together countless other business executives, entertainment leaders and global artists under one roof at the Billboard K POWER 100 event in Seoul.
Set at THE SHILLA Seoul Yeong Bin Gwan, the event recognized innovators in the Asian music industry. More than 30 acts were in the house to celebrate, including The Boyz, Jay Park, EXO-CBX, CHUNG HA, FIFTY FIFTY, BamBam, STAYC, Be’O, Kang Daniel, The Rose, Wave to Earth, ONE OR EIGHT and Louiza Sonja, while a handful of key people received honors for their contributions to the expansion of Asian music. Jeong Tae-young, for instance, won the Culture Impact Award for shaping music trends through his marketing work as the vice chairman of Hyundai Card, and CMO Todd Pendleton accepted the Exceptional Experience Award on behalf of Dolby Atmos for the company’s innovations in sound technology.
Plus, Lee Young-hee, head of global marketing at Samsung Electronics, took home the Innovative Brand Award, CEO Joseph Chang of Kakao Entertainment received the Power Players Award and Filipino groups SB19 and BINI won the Voices of Asia Award. Billboard also took time to honor the many K-pop stars who have achieved historic milestones on the Billboard Hot 100, presenting custom art panel music frames to acts such as Wonder Girls, PSY, 2NE1, BTS, BLACKPINK and more.
“We’re thrilled to officially launch Billboard Korea,” said Billboard CEO Mike Van in a statement. “Our mission is to champion the growth of K-culture and foster global recognition of its incredible talent.”
Acquired by PMC Group in 2020, Billboard Korea is the Korean branch of Billboard Media. On Aug. 27, the brand released a special edition of the 2024 Billboard K-Pop Artist Biographical Dictionary ahead of its inaugural issue in October.
“Our goal is to expand K-pop and K-culture worldwide and leverage our role as cultural ambassadors to make a positive impact,” publisher Kim Yuna, who will lead Billboard Korea, said of the venture.
“We’re eagerly anticipating the K-content we’ll create together with Billboard Korea,” added Billboard‘s Editorial Director Hannah Karp.
Below, see photos of some of the best moments, A-list guests, prestigious awards and more at the 2024 Billboard K POWER 100 event.
