Korea Observer

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Twenty-year-old Jean Kiley Manguera has never been to South Korea. Come October, not only will she travel to that country but more importantly, she will represent the Philippines in the 2014 K-pop World Festival in Changwon.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin A week before the finals of the 2013 Pinoy K-pop Star, 18-year-old Kristine Bernadette Solis was suffering from pharyngitis, or inflammation of the throat, that she was unable to practice her song "Can't Let You Go" by Seo Young Eun, an original soundtrack for the hit drama "49 Days." What she could only do was listen to the song over and over. She was only able to practice her piece the night before the finals. Pinoy K-pop Star 2013 winner Kristine Bernadette Solis (center) together with judges Director Hwang Seong-un (left) of KCC in the Philippines and Director Kim Yoon-sik (right) of the Korea Copyright Commission. (Photo by KCC Philippines)

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines has revealed the 10 finalists of the 2013 Pinoy Kpop Star. 

In September, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC), under the Korean Embassy in the Philippines, launched the “Pinoy K-pop Star 2011” contest to search for the ultimate K-pop singer in the country. Last October 8, the KCC held the grand finals of the contest and the winner is Karla Carreon.  Here are the finalists and Karla's winning performance after the cut: