Ministry of Culture New Year’s Concert: From Bach and Saint-Saens to K-Pop Demon Hunters OST

At the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center on January 7

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the "2026 New Year’s Concert" at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2026, to celebrate the arrival of the Byeongo Year.

This New Year’s Concert will be held under the theme of "Strong and Dynamic Energy Opening a New Era." The event aims to express, through music, both the present and the bright future of Korea, which has grown into a cultural and artistic powerhouse. The concert will be attended by members of the Cultural and Arts Policy Advisory Committee and the Popular Culture Exchange Committee, both established this year, as well as key figures from the cultural and arts sector and leaders from the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Tickets will also be available for sale to the general public.

The first piece to be performed will be "Sujecheon Resounds," composed by Choi Woojung, who received the Culture and Arts Award this year. The piece is a prayer for a long and peaceful life in the new year of 2026, as enduring as the sky.

Collaborative performances by world-renowned musicians will follow. Violinist Lim Jiyeong, winner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth International Competition, will perform Saint-Saens’ "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso." Pianists Lee Hyuk and Lee Hyo, who both made headlines this year by advancing to the third round of the Chopin International Competition, will perform Bach’s "Concerto for Two Keyboards." The performances will be conducted by Hong Seokwon, professor at Seoul National University College of Music and conductor, together with the KBS Symphony Orchestra.

Audiences can also enjoy major musical pieces from globally beloved "K-dramas" and "K-animations."

Kim Suin, a member of the National Changgeuk Company, and Gil Byungmin, winner of the 2016 Toulouse International Vocal Competition in France, will sing the Jeju folk song "Neoyeong Nayeong" and "To the Land of Hope," both featured in the drama "When Life Gives You Tangerines." In addition, the main original soundtrack from the animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters"-"Golden" and "Soda Pop," which reached No. 1 and No. 3 on the Billboard charts, respectively-will be performed as orchestral pieces.

The National Chorus of Korea and youth trainees will conclude the concert by singing "When a Flower Blooms," a poem by Jo Donghwa set to music by Yoon Hakjoon, and "Geongon Gamri," written and composed by Woo Hyowon, from "Ah! Republic of Korea."

The first round of ticket sales for the 2026 New Year’s Concert was held on December 24 through the Seoul Arts Center website and NolTicket, and the second round will begin at 2:00 p.m. on January 2. The concert is scheduled to be broadcast on KBS 1TV at 5:40 p.m. on January 11.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.