South Korea

National selection

Korea's Next Wave — September 4, 2026, on ENA.

Korea's Next Wave is scheduled for Friday 4 September 2026, 23:00 KST, streaming on the official Eurovision YouTube channel. Eight acts are competing — two groups, a duo and five soloists — with songs released on 23 August. South Korea's participation was a late addition, missing from the contest's brief 29 March leak and confirmed only in the 31 March official announcement.

Music scene

South Korea is the biggest music market in the contest by a clear margin, with the deepest production infrastructure and the largest existing international fanbase of any of the eleven countries. The Korea's Next Wave field notably skews away from major-label idol groups — a compressed casting timeline (applications closed 30 June, filming in late July) made established acts unlikely for a first edition.

Worth knowing

• Eight competing acts: 9278, Angel Noise, huiAe, JUNHEE, KIK, PLZY, Sojeong Shim, Younghoon Ji
• Voting split not yet published — Bhutan and the Philippines both used 40/40/20, but ENA hasn't confirmed its own

Related coverage

• Korea's Next Wave: The Eight Acts Competing to Take K-Pop to Bangkok on 4 September

See the full national selection calendar and current odds for all eleven countries.