Delhi-based ‘3plus4crew’ wins top dance prize at All India K-Pop contest

The Grand Finale of All-India K-pop Contest 2025, India’s biggest live celebration of Korean pop culture, was organised by Korean Cultural Centre India in New Delhi on July 19. The event, which has over the years unearthed some exceptional talent in India, marked its 15th edition with high-octane performances by K-pop enthusiasts from across the country.

Delhi-based K-pop group, ‘3plus4crew’ was awarded the top prize in the dance category after a scintillating performance to ‘Super’ by Seventeen. In the vocal category, Shylee Preetam from Hyderabad, was announced as the winner after her soulful performance on ‘U & I’ by Ailee. In the inaugural ‘rap’ category competition that was introduced this year, Riniya Taku from Itanagar was adjudicated as the winner after performing to ‘Backpacker’ by Zerobaseone.

The winners were awarded cash prizes of Rs 2,00,000 for the first spot, Rs 1,00,000 for the second spot, and Rs 50,000 for the third spot in each category. Moreover, the three winners – ‘3plus4crew’, Shylee Preetam, and Riniya Taku – will be nominated to represent India at the prestigious ‘K-Pop World Festival’ to be organised in Changwon, South Korea, later this year.

As the largest and only K-pop event of its kind in India, the contest received a large fan following since its announcement. The highly anticipated finale featured 15 teams, selected through preliminary and regional qualifiers from a pool of 1,278 team registrations from across the country. To enhance participation of K-pop lovers from across India, the regional qualifiers were organised in 10 cities, including Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Itanagar, Bhopal, New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kohima and Hyderabad, and received overwhelming love and support from the local K-pop groups.

One of the highlights of the evening was the scintillating performance by upcoming K-pop boyband, NOMAD, that had travelled from Korea, exclusively for the All India K-pop Contest 2025. Indian K-pop lovers were over the moon as NOMAD performed to their blockbuster titles such as ‘No Pressure’, ‘California Love’, ‘Compare’ and ‘Carnival’. In a special ‘Fan Meeting’ session, the five members of NOMAD – Sangha, Doy, One, Rivr, and Junho – also interacted with their Indian fans and tried their hand at learning some Hindi greetings.

True to its tagline, “One Beat, One India, Over a Decade of K-pop”, the All India K-pop Contest has played a pioneering role in the spread of Hallyu (the Korean Wave) in India. The contest has provided a valuable stage for young fans to express their passion and talent through K-pop music and dance, and has become a central hub for K-pop communities that have organically formed across the country. With participation growing each year, the contest has evolved beyond a simple competition to become a symbolic representation of the cultural bond between Korea and India.

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Hwang Il Yong, Director of Korean Cultural Centre India said, “This year marks the 15th edition of the contest. This would not have been possible without the support from Indian fans. As we celebrate over a decade of this incredible journey, the contest stands as a symbol of the deep cultural bond between Korea and India. The love for K-pop and Korean culture in India has constantly been growing and I wish the bond between our two countries goes on to become even stronger.