Asia University Music Festival '2026 Hangang University Song Festival' Held for Two Days, Wendy to Host; Total Prize of 40 Million Won

Stepping Up as a Global Music Festival: '2026 Hangang University Song Festival'

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Hangang Headquarters will hold '2026 Hangang University Song Festival' on the 2nd of this month at 7:00 PM at the multi-purpose sports ground in Jamwon Hangang Park.

Now in its third year, this event has firmly established itself as a 'global music competition' where university students from around the world prove their skills with original songs, beyond a simple contest. A total of 189 teams submitted applications for this year's preliminaries, and only the top 10 teams selected from four countries—Korea, China, Japan, and Mongolia—after fierce competition will take the stage in the finals.

The teams advancing to the finals will be expected to showcase original musical worlds spanning a wide range of genres, including rock, pop, R&B, city pop, and Korean traditional music. The 10 teams that will perform on the final stage are as follows.

The teams advancing to the finals are: ▲ Pluto (Seoul Arts University • Hongik University • Dong-A Broadcasting University) ▲ 8ighty7even (Japan Senzo쿠gakuin Music College) ▲ 332 Blues (Seoul Arts University) ▲ Dongyoung (Howon University) ▲ Zhangsiweiye (China Chongqing Radio and Television University) ▲ Naranir Band (Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture) ▲ Hwangsaeng (Ewha Womans University • Hanyang University) ▲ Garoin-deul (Seoul Arts University • Howon University • Dong-A Broadcasting University) ▲ Kim Tae-young Band (Howon University • University of Seoul • Jeonghwa Arts University • Seokyeong University) ▲ Park Hae-won Band (Kyung Hee University), etc.

A Lineup of Unprecedented-Scale Judges and Big-Ticket Benefits: A Breeding Ground for 'Young Musicians'

This year's contest will be hosted by 'Nam Hyunjong', an announcer, and 'Wendy' of the group Red Velvet, showcasing overwhelming stage command. The judging panel is also made up of the top experts in popular music in Korea. Composers 'Kim Hyungsuk', lyricist 'Kim Eana', singer 'Hareem', 'Jung Seunghwan', 'Hyojung' from Oh My Girl, and others will participate to conduct fair and sharp judging.

The total prize pool has been set at 40 million won. In particular, the team that wins the grand prize will receive an extraordinary 'opportunity for an overseas performance' along with a prize of 20 million won in Indonesia, in Jakarta. The gold prize team will earn a prize of 10 million won and an opportunity to perform in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, while the silver prize (5 million won), bronze prize (3 million won), and two Youth Appreciation Awards (1 million won each) will also receive prize money and a 'opportunity to release an audio track'.

The energy of the contest site will be recorded nationwide and broadcast through 'KBS 2TV' on the 16th of this month at 10:40 PM.

Seoul Metropolitan Government Future Hangang Headquarters Director Park Jinyoung said, "I will not hold back my full support so that 'Hangang University Song Festival' can establish itself as a truly legitimate 'global cultural and arts festival' that discovers outstanding young musicians."