In the years of interaction between African and Korean culture, Africa has often been viewed by the latter as a continent to explore and experience. Yet, fewer cultural figures have done so, indicating a lack of physical engagement in Korean exchange with local audiences.
Some Korean personalities and celebrities have visited the continent, with Korean cultural centres facilitating creative and cultural exchange across several countries. Still, a broader entertainment and culture gap persists as Africa remains absent on major tour schedules.
However, 2025 saw an observable growth in Korean creative and artistic presence in Africa. Beyond soft tourism and vacations, Korean creatives, particularly women, have taken leading roles within these quieter but meaningful developments. Their significance lies not in the novelty of these visits, but in the intentionality shaping the Korean-African creative and entertainment spaces in real time.
From artists to influencers and entrepreneurs, seven female Korean creatives were highlighted by Nigerian K-pop journalist AyòÌféolúwa, in honor of Women’s Month.
YOON (Nigeria)
Photo Credit: YOON on Instagram
Yoon Ahn, mononym “YOON,” is a Japan-based, Korean-American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She is known for her work with Dior Men, Nike Women, Louis Vuitton, and as creative director of her jewelry brand, AMBUSH.
In 2025, the business creative visited Nigeria twice for workshops organized by “Our Homecoming”. Founded by Grace Ladoja, Our Homecoming is an annual festival celebrating music, fashion and arts, aimed at promoting cultural exchange and connecting African creatives with the world.
In April, she joined a panel session and took a masterclass at the festival. She later returned as a guest speaker for Our Homecoming’s creative direction workshop in December. There, she shared insights and career experience in fashion, business, and branding with an all-female audience.
YOON also collaborated with the Lagos record store, Jazzhole, Pablo Tshirt factory and Nigerian born, UK-based artiste Leonard Iheagwam (Soldier boyfriend), to create a limited edition merch for the store.
SURAN (Ghana)
Photo Credit: SURAN on Instagram
So far, only two Korean artists are known to have visited Ghana, with SURAN becoming the third. Yet, none of is as significant as hers. SURAN is an award-winning singer, celebrated for her soulful vocals and versatility in the Korean music scene.
In December 2025, the solo artist arrived in Ghana for her first-ever solo fan concert. The event was organized by Jaese Presents, a Ghana-based independent franchise bridging Korean entertainment in sub-Saharan Africa. It featured live performances by SURAN, fan interactions, and a celebration of K-pop culture.
Much more than an appearance, SURAN live in Ghana marked the first ever K-pop fan concert in the country. It also solidified SURAN as the first Korean artiste to perform in both Ghana and West Africa. SURAN fully immersed herself in Ghanaian culture, attending local music concerts and meeting notable artists, including the celebrated Rocky Dawuni. She also visited the iconic Black Star Square and embraced the community by adopting the name “Abena Suran,” given to her by fans.
Silly (Nigeria)
Photo Credit: Silly on Instagram
Silly music first gained attention from Nigerian audiences as an internet personality sharing light-hearted covers of Afrobeats songs with her now 2.4M+ followers on TikTok.
The South Korean creator who often expressed her love for Nigerian Afrobeats stars like Davido and Asake, finally made her first visit to Nigeria in 2024. During her visit, she linked up with Nigerian personalities, notably, popular singer-dancer, Poco Lee. She also cited her curiosity to experience the music culture as the major reason for her visit.
Less than a year after, Silly made another extended visit to Lagos, Nigeria in 2025, where she eventually shot the music video to the Afro-inspired song “Trampoline”, a track off her first EP “AfroKitty”.
JINSEOUL (Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda)
Photo Credit: JINSEOUL on Instagram
The UK-based South Korean DJ, JINSEOUL is known for her African music genres mixes on social media. In July 2025, JINSEOUL shared her intentions to bring her arts and DJ experience to communities in Africa.
“The village DJ tour”, as it was dubbed, kicked off in Lagos Nigeria. Between September and December, Jinseoul toured four cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Bayelsa) sharing African music and dance in community schools, local market areas and club houses.
By December, she moved on to South Africa to continue her DJ tour. With her recent 2026 DJ set in Kigali, Rwanda, JINSEOUL is now the first known Korean creative to tour multiple cities and countries across the continent.
Henny (Angola)
Photo Credit: Henny on Instagram
In Central Africa, K-pop singer and model Henny is steadily building a presence with fans in Angola. In 2024, Henny first visited Angola honouring the invitation to perform at the country’s national holiday event. She also collaborated with Unitel, Angola’s biggest telecommunications company as the first Korean singer to introduce K-pop ringtones in Angola.
In October 2025, Henny made another visit to Angola as a guest performer at the inauguration ceremony of “K-Pop street,”a space created for K-culture fans by the Korean embassy in Luanda. Two days later, the beloved singer once again performed at the Angola national holiday event, becoming the first Korean act to perform multiple times at the event.
Henny’s presence in Angola continues to grow with events including the “Hennyverse festival” a fan-organised event named after her in Angola.
AILEE (South Africa)
Photo Credit: Korean Cultural Center South Africa on Instagram
September 2025 saw the award-winning K-pop vocalist AILEE, visiting South Africa. The Korean-American singer is renowned for her powerful vocals by which she rose to fame as one of the most respected solo acts in the K-pop industry.
Performing at the “Ubuntu with Korean Culture” event organised by the Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa, AILEE took her anticipated South African debut solo stage in front of over 8000 fans.
AILEE is regarded as the first mainstream female K-pop idol to perform in South Africa. Korean music artists like K-pop group MustB (2022) and classical musician and pianist Yeon-min Park (2023) hold preceding records for the first Korean performance and a multiple-city tour in the country.
aespa (Morocco)
Photo Credit: Mawazine Festival on Instagram
16 years after labelmates f(x) visited Kenya, aespa made their way to Morocco in June, becoming the second SM Entertainment girl group to travel to an African country.
While f(x) filmed a travelogue show, the four members of aespa (KARINA, GISELLE, WINTER and NINGNING) headlined the 2025 edition of the Mawazine festival. The performance was the second of its kind by a Korean act, following boy group ATEEZ’s pioneer headline appearance at the festival in 2024.
With a setlist featuring hits like “Supernova,” “Next Level,” “Armaggedon,” and “Whiplash,” aespa became the first K-pop girl group to perform in Morocco and headline a major African festival.
Which of these visits were you aware of?