Fans of Korean music bust a move at K-POP World Festival’s Jordan event

AMMAN — Although Ahmad Sadoun does not understand Korean, his passion for the culture motivated him to delve deep into its art and songs, learning the basics. 

Sadoun took part in this year’s K-POP World Festival in Jordan on Saturday, dancing with great passion and excitement to the music of one of his favourite Korean songs. 

The 12-year-old was not intimidated by the great number of attendees, busting moves that won over the audience. 

“I was so happy while dancing and I was glad that the audience liked my show,” he told The Jordan Times after his performance. 

Sadoun was among several Jordanians who took part in the second edition of the Korean competition in Jordan, which attracted over 500 spectators.

“I don’t worry about whether the language is difficult or not. I concentrate on the meaning of the songs and I translate the lyrics,” Sadoun said with great confidence.  

Kim Hojin, a senior researcher at the Korean embassy in Amman, said the two events that were held in Amman over the past two years were successful, with many Jordanians attending. 

She said this year’s show, held at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, attracted more participants and attendees than last year, noting that videos of the winners’ performances will be sent to Korea, where it will be decided whether to invite them to the final stage of the competition in October.  

She noted that Jordanians’ interest in Korean culture has been on the rise over the past years. 

“Thanks to the Internet, people can easily [access] drama and songs. By watching and listening to these shows, they get used to the words, language and the culture. Ten years ago, no one was aware of the language and nowadays everyone likes it.”

Ayman Khdour, who took part in last year’s K-POP World Festival in Jordan, said he does not find difficulty in understanding the language because he likes it and the Korean pop dance style. 

“I studied Korean at the University of Jordan. Their songs have a mix of English and Korean,” the 23-year-old noted.  

Bayan Hassoun, 20, said she attended the shows because she likes Korean culture.

“It is a conservative society and their TV series are short and have interesting stories. I like the way they respect old people,” Hassoun told The Jordan Times as she was waiting for the show to begin. 

While Sadoun was performing on stage, his father Elian was encouraging him by smiling and clapping with each dance move.

“I have read about the Korean culture and I really like it. I urged my son to learn more about it because everyone is paying attention only to the European and American cultures. The Korean culture has some things in common with ours,” he said.