Just in case you missed the '2025 KBS Song Festival Global Festival' - Here are the must-see performances

19 Dec 2025, 22:19 by K-Soul · allkpop

The '2025 KBS Song Festival Global Festival' aired live on December 19, standing out amid the crowded year-end music awards season as more than just another playlist-style broadcast. What set it apart was its deliberate stage composition—signals that this was a show meant to be watched closely, not left on in the background. Online communities were buzzing in real time, with standout moments quickly turning into shareable highlights.

Held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, the festival was hosted by Jang Do Yeon, Moon Sang Min, and ILLIT’s Minju. A total of 25 artists spanning genres and generations took the stage, reinforcing the event’s ambition to present K-pop as a truly global and genre-blending culture.

The broadcast ran for 190 minutes, starting at 7:15 PM KST on KBS, making it one of the longer year-end music specials. The extended runtime reflected careful planning—less about stacking performances back-to-back, and more about creating a cohesive musical flow.

This year’s theme, “K-pop as the Key to Global Culture,” was not just a slogan. The lineup itself embodied the concept, bringing together top-tier K-pop acts, global K-pop artists, live K-bands, and K-trot singers on one stage. Rather than separating genres, the festival wove them into a single narrative, highlighting how diverse sounds coexist within today’s Korean music scene.

Over nearly three hours, the show delivered an adrenaline-filled music celebration. Artists who have elevated K-pop’s presence worldwide performed alongside bands that energized the venue with live sound, and trot singers who brought both excitement and emotional depth.

The 25 participating acts included CNBLUE, 10CM, Roy Kim, Park Seo Jin, Jannabi, Lovelyz, Dayoung, NCT Dream, Mark, Haechan, The Boyz, fromis_9, Lee Chan Won, P1Harmony, STAYC, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, tripleS, KISS OF LIFE, n.SSign, EVNNE, Close Your Eyes, HITGS, Baby DONT Cry, and AHOF. Together, they delivered performances that blurred the boundaries between styles, eras, and musical identities.

One of the night’s highlights was its collaboration stages. The duet between IVE’s Liz and LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chae Won drew attention as a meeting of celebrated vocal tones. 10CM and ILLIT’s Minju showcased a meaningful senior-junior collaboration that bridged generations, while rookie acts AHOF and Close Your Eyes surprised viewers with a fresh and energetic joint performance.

Taken as a whole, the 2025 KBS Song Festival Global Festival wasn’t just a year-end recap—it was a carefully curated showcase of how far K-pop has expanded, and how seamlessly its many forms can come together on one stage.

So here are all the performances from '2025 KBS Song Festival Global Festival'

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