Regina Otokpa 
A Nigerian dance group, The Xtreme Movement comprising of three talented dancers and a female singer, MacWhitney Myles-Iranyohe, have emerged winners of the dance and singing categories at the 2025 K-Pop Festival held in Abuja.
Besides a cash gift of N800,000 awarded to The Xtreme Movement and N500,000 to
MacWhitney Myles-Iranyohe, both winners would proceed to compete for the global K-Pop competition holding in Korea.
The Festival organised by the Korea Cultural Center Nigeria (KCCN), featured 18 finalists;10 singing teams and eight dancing teams, who battled in their various categories at the grand finale of the festival.
Besides clinching the grand prize dancing to the Korean song ‘Ice On My Teeth’ by Ateez,
The Xtreme Movement also won another sum of N200,000 popularity prize determined by audience votes.
Leader of The Xtreme Movement, Damina Loka who struggled to contain his excitement, said words failed him to express how the group felt emerging overall winners in the dance category.
While disclosing that the group rehearsed for five months, Loka explained that tho it wasn’t an easy task, the group was however motivated by the original group that owned the song because of their special personalities.
He said: “They have these special personalities, each of the boys has their different styles. We literally just tried to replicate what we saw from their previous performances and then we infused it with our own Nigerian style. We have been rehearsing since February for this competition.”
Commending the KCCN for always giving Nigerians an opportunity to showcase their talents and promoting their culture among Nigerians, Loka expressed optimism the group has what it would take to win at the global competition in Korea.
“We hope to bring the win back to Nigeria during the international competition. But after the international competition, we intend to start K-pop dance classes in Abuja.
“The community here in Africa needs to be exposed to the K-pop culture and be infused with the Nigerian style for such will go a long way.”
Winner of the singing category, MacWhitney Myles-Iranyohe said she dedicated one full year rehearsing for the competition which according to her, she has been a participant for four consecutive years.
“I prepared for over one year for this great moment, though I had learnt the song before now. I have been contesting for the past four years and I won the third position in 2024.”
Delighted to see Nigerians doing better in K-Pop, one of the judges, Mr Praise Nelson, said
he was excited to see that K-Pop has grown in Nigeria.
Nelson, a past winner of the K-pop global competition about 10 years ago he noted that given the great performances by all the groups, it was difficult task picking the best crew to represent Nigeria.
“To tell how tough it was, the winner won by a point. But my greatest excitement is seeing the growth of K-pop in Nigeria. I am excited to see how far K-Pop has grown in Nigeria. I am confident we can bring the prize home to Nigeria once again.”
The Director KCCN, Jeon Juho, described the K-Pop festival as a celebration of the Hallyu wave, that has continued to thrive globally, connecting cultures and inspiring millions.
“Today, we’re here not only to enjoy music and performance but to celebrate culture, creativity, and friendship. K-Pop, a global phenomenon born in the heart of Korea, has found a vibrant and passionate home here in Nigeria, a country rich in musical talent and vibrant youth culture.
“From dance crews and vocalists performing tonight, to the dedicated fans who follow every comeback—your enthusiasm shows that Korean culture is truly appreciated here.
“At the Korean Cultural Centre, we are proud to be a bridge between Korea and Nigeria—offering language classes, cultural programs, and events like this festival to deepen mutual understanding.
“To our performers, partners, staff and audience-thank you for your passion and support.”
