‘2025 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan’ Sells Out Tokyo Dome with 120,000 Fans, Reaffirming K-Pop's Global Power

The ‘2025 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan’ successfully concluded, drawing a massive crowd of 120,000 global fans to the Tokyo National Stadium and solidifying K-Pop's international prestige.

Held over two days, June 13th and 14th, at the prestigious Tokyo National Stadium – Japan's largest venue – this marked the first-ever K-Pop performance in the stadium's history. Under the theme ‘Golden Road,’ the festival showcased the golden era of K-Pop, demonstrating its expansion beyond Korea into a worldwide phenomenon.

The event was expertly hosted by actor and singer Lee Jun-young and IVE member Jang Won-young. Their captivating chemistry and stunning visuals, clad in dazzling white outfits, created a fairytale-like atmosphere, enhancing the festive mood. Jang Won-young, in particular, showcased her established queenly presence, having MCed KBS year-end music festivals for four consecutive years.

The first day featured electrifying performances from top K-Pop groups including ATEEZ, ITZY, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, NMIXX, BOYNEXTDOOR, RIIZE, and ILLIT. The second day continued the excitement with stellar acts like U-Know Yunho, Stray Kids, NiziU, IVE, &TEAM, XIKER, ZEROBASEONE, TWS, and NCT WISH, igniting the stadium.

A special highlight was the ‘Golden Stage,’ where junior artists reimagined legendary K-Pop songs in their own unique styles. RIIZE's rendition of TVXQ!’s ‘HUG,’ HATSSUNHAT’s take on Girls' Generation’s ‘Into the New World,’ EZNA’s cover of KARA’s ‘Pretty Girl,’ and CLASS:y’s powerful performance of BTS’s ‘MIC Drop’ captivated the audience, signaling the emergence of new legends who will carry K-Pop's 'Golden Road' forward.

Adding to the cultural exchange and excitement, Japanese superstar group Snow Man made a special guest appearance on the first day. The festival culminated with a breathtaking finale, uniting all the performing artists and the 120,000 fans in a chorus of cheers and a spectacular fireworks display, leaving an indelible impression.

The ‘2025 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan’ will be broadcast on KBS 2TV on Tuesday, June 30th, at 8:30 PM.

Korean netizens expressed pride in K-Pop's global influence, commenting, 'As expected, K-Pop is world-class,' and '120,000 people in Japan, that's amazing!' Many also praised the MC chemistry, noting, 'Lee Jun-young and Jang Won-young's synergy is perfect.'