The ''KBS Song Festival'' () is an annual

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n music show that airs on the

Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

(KBS) at the end of every year. It first aired in 1965 as an awards show, but KBS discontinued the awards ceremony in 2006. It has continued since as a music festival without giving awards most years. However, awards were given in 2013.

History

Park Bo-gum and Seolhyun at 2016 KBS Song Festival

The program was first broadcast in 1965 by the

Tongyang Broadcasting Company Tongyang Broadcasting Company (TBC, 1964-1980) was a South Korean commercial television station which was merged by the government with KBS. It was owned by the Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul.Understanding Modern East Asian Politics - Pag ...

(TBC), where it was known as the ''TBC Broadcast Music Awards'' (). Singer Choi Hee-Joon won the first award in 1965. Separate awards were then given for male and female artists from 1966 to 1986 In 1981, the South Korean government forced TBC to merge with the

(KBS). Following the merger, the program's name was changed to the ''KBS Music Awards'' (). It aired on

KBS1 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

every year on 30 December until 1994, when the program moved to

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

. In 2005,

Kim Jong-kook Kim Jong-kook (; born April 25, 1976) is a South Korean singer, entertainer, and actor. Kim debuted as a member of South Korean duo Turbo in 1995. The duo was considered to be one of the most popular idols in that time and sold out millions of ...

became the last singer to win the KBS Music Award. In 2006, the program's name was changed to the ''KBS Song Festival'', and the network turned the program into a non-competitive music festival rather than an awards show. Between 2006 and 2016, the festival typically featured performances by 20 to 30

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, go ...

groups and singers. However, in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, KBS scaled back the festival to include only eight groups, two singers, and contestants from the KBS2 reality show ''The Unit''. The event has always taken place at KBS Hall, with two exceptions. In 2015, the event was held in Gocheok Sky Dome and for the 2019 event, it was held in

KINTEX Korea International Exhibition Center (, commonly known as KINTEX) is a convention and exhibition center located in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, approximately from Seoul, South Korea. It comprises two exhibition centers, one of whic ...

. The

2018 KBS Song Festival The 2018 KBS Song Festival was the 9th edition of KBS Song Festival The ''KBS Song Festival'' () is an annual South Korean music show that airs on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) at the end of every year. It first aired in 1965 as an aw ...

with the theme, "A Huge Fantastical Party", was held at the KBS Hall on 28 December 2018. 2021 KBS music festival was held on December 17, from 20:30 KST hosted by Cha Eun-woo, Seolhyun, and Rowoon. 2022 KBS music festival was held on December 16, hosted by

Na In-woo Na Jong-chan (; born September 17, 1994) better known by his stage name Na In-woo ( Korean: 나인우), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Mr. Queen'' (2020–2021) and '' River Where the Moon Rises'' (2021). He is a c ...

, Kim Shing-young and Jang Wonyoung.