At the APEC leaders' banquet stage where world leaders gathered, G-DRAGON once again made K-pop history. His performance before leaders including President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping was, truly, "the pinnacle of cultural diplomacy."
#.gat-wearing G-DRAGON appears, "the essence of K culture"
The stage at the "APEC leaders' meeting welcome banquet" held at the Lahan Hotel in Gyeongju on the 29th. That day G-DRAGON, the only K-pop artist invited to perform, capped the lavish banquet's finale. Introducing himself as "APEC 2025 Korea ambassador, singer G-DRAGON," he appeared wearing a traditional gat and overwhelmed the venue with a stage that blended intense beats and restrained Eastern aesthetics.
His silhouette, cast beneath the curve of the gat, immediately captured attention, and even the world leaders present were seen taking out their phones to film his performance. As images of President Lee Jae-myung and President Xi Jinping smiling side by side were broadcast, online communities erupted with praise such as "the moment he wore the gat, Korea's aesthetics swept the world," "this is truly 'K culture diplomacy' itself," and "G-DRAGON made history on stage."
Internet users in particular reacted to the symbolic "gat performance" that day with comments like "GD now stands for GOD." Some even wrote, "the gat-wearing god (GOD) Dragon completes K-pop's mythology," "a stage that showed why he received the Order of Cultural Merit," and "trustworthy G-DRAGON, the performance itself was art."
#.youngest recipient of the Order of Cultural Merit, 'history itself'
This performance took place just a week after he was selected as the youngest recipient of the Order of Cultural Merit. G-DRAGON was recognized at the 16th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards on the 23rd for his contributions to the globalization of Korean popular music and the spread of the Korean Wave.
In his acceptance remarks he said, "Since the day I went to the audition when I was 6, I still dream the same dream," and "I became a singer in my teens, received commendations in my 20s, and a medal in my 30s. I look forward to my 40s." He also said, "Even if languages differ, hearts communicate. Music proves that," and left the message, "I want to be an artist remembered beyond an era," a statement he proved himself.
#. "the stage is the message"… cultural diplomacy beyond borders
He is currently the official ambassador for APEC 2025, promoting APEC's values of "connection and sustainability" to the world. At the same time, with the "G-DRAGON 2025 WORLD TOUR [Übermensch]" he is touring major world cities including Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Macau, Paris and Newark, continuing a streak of sold-out shows at each stop.
Global fans who watched his performance raved that it was a "stage more valuable than any medal," "charisma that did not waver even in front of Xi Jinping," and "real, living K-pop history." "G-DRAGON, standing on stage wearing a gat, was not just a singer but a 'culture itself,'" they said. His performance was not a mere show but a moment that proved "K-pop is cultural diplomacy."
[Photo] OSEN DB, YouTube
[OSEN]