There’s always something exciting going on at The Shops at Skyview and this summer they’re back with their annual K-Fun Korean cultural activities. From June 16 to August 8, Skyview has expanded the event to six weeks with one day each week dedicated to exploring the themes of K-Pop, K-art, K-fashion, K-wellness, K-food, and K-culture.
The event adopted a “Skyview High” theme. Skyview has partnered with local foundations, including River Fund and Book Fairies to host a School Supply Drive to support children in need for their school year.
On June 16, K-Pop Day featured a special meet & greet with Jung Daehyun. Daehyun debuted as the main vocalist of the K-Pop boy group B.A.P in 2012. After the group parted ways with their former company, the members pursued their solo activities. During this time, Daehyun continued to release music and ventured into musical theater. His appearance at the meet & greet marked his first time back in New York since the last B.A.P tour in 2018. Last year’s guest was Daehyun’s fellow B.A.P member Jongup and this time Skyview had more surprises in store for BABYs (their fandom name).
To commemorate his return, fansites prepared several projects for the occasion. One was a Times Square billboard, which Daehyun visited upon arrival, sharing photos on his Instagram stories. Upon entering Skyview Mall, shoppers were greeted with a large “Welcome back to NYC” support ad projected on the main lobby’s LED display.
Before his public appearance, Daehyun held a press conference with Wesley Sin, Regional Marketing Manager of Shopcore Properties, owners, and managers of The Shops at Skyview. Daehyun stepped out dressed in a Korean high school-inspired uniform to match the event’s school theme and began posing for press photos. He mentioned how being back in New York made him reminisce about the time he spent with his B.A.P members. Although he felt nervous about returning as a soloist, he expressed his eagerness to see the fans again. Daehyun stated that his biggest goal for the year is the upcoming B.A.P comeback, and he plans on releasing solo music after that.
“Because those memories between me and BABYs are so meaningful, I think this time around my appearance with B.A.P is the most important thing in my life.”
– Jung Daehyun
For the meet & greet, fans arrived dressed up in school uniforms and brought out their Matoki lightsticks and banners. Some even had Daehyun’s solo lightstick. As it was a sold-out event, the 4th-floor level quickly filled up and screams echoed throughout the area.
First up was a performance from AKF Dance Studio who prepared dance covers of viral K-Pop hits. Afterward, Wesley introduced the next guest as an “exchange student from South Korea,” prompting everyone to shout “DAEHYUN!” in return. He stepped on stage and began performing “Bomb (느낌있게),” a song from his single album Aight.
During the Q&A session, Daehyun shared how he spent his New York trip at Times Square to see the billboards. The area held special significance for Daehyun as B.A.P was the first K-Pop group to perform there. As a musical actor, he also expressed his wish to perform on Broadway one day.
There were fun, interactive activities prepared for the day along with special prizes in store. Attendees who submitted their photo using Skyview’s student ID filter on Instagram had a chance to be entered in the contest. A lucky fan won a signed cat shirt designed by Daehyun while two others sampled his handmade kimbap and tanghulu cocktail. There was also a fashion contest where the winner reenacted a K-drama confession scene with Daehyun.
As a singer known for his unique, powerful vocals, Daehyun had more performances up his sleeve. He wowed the crowd with his high notes in “You’re My (너는 내게)” and surprised everyone with the throwback B.A.P hit “With You.” While on the topic of K-wellness, he shared his workout routine and mentioned how dancing is a great form of exercise. Accompanied by AKF Dance Studio, Daehyun proceeded to do a dance medley of the B.A.P tracks “Skydive,” “Wake Me Up,” and “Young, Wild & Free.”
Before ending the event, staff brought out a birthday cake (provided by the fansites Mato Ranger and dreamdaby_대박몽) as Daehyun’s 31st birthday was coming up. B.A.P’s “Happy Birthday” started playing on the speakers as Daehyun blew out the candles. He made three birthday wishes: to return to New York; for everyone to be happy and healthy; and the third one was kept a secret.
Lastly, Daehyun took photos with the audience as he waved goodbye. Attendees lingered around to check out the booths from the event sponsors. Free drinks adorned with cupsleeves (provided by the fansite PUZZLEPIECE) were distributed to attendees.
Although K-Pop Day is over, don’t forget to check out other upcoming K-Fun events. Attendance is free with registration on their site. Participants who attend more than four classes will receive a graduation gift with a signed poster from Daehyun.
Many thanks to Skyview for hosting this event and stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Daehyun!