Japan and South Korea leaders break into K-pop drumming after historic summit
Japanese and South Korean leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries before they let loose in a surprise jam session
Japanese and South Korean leaders have pledged to deepen cooperation between their nations, sealing their commitment with an unexpected K-pop drumming session that delighted onlookers.
The unique cultural exchange saw Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung perform together following Tuesday's summit in Nara, Ms Takaichi’s hometown.
Donning personalised athletic jackets, the two leaders sat side-by-side, drumming along to popular K-pop tracks, including BTS’s "Dynamite" and KPop Demon Hunters’ "Golden".
A short video of the performance was later shared by Ms Takaichi’s office on Wednesday.
The impromptu jam session was orchestrated by Ms Takaichi, a known heavy metal enthusiast and keen drummer during her college years. President Lee expressed his gratitude for her hospitality, revealing that playing the drums had been a long-held dream.
He drew a parallel between their gradually aligning rhythms and his hope for South Korea and Japan to deepen their cooperation step-by-step.
In the video, Ms Takaichi praised President Lee as a quick study, noting he mastered the drums in mere minutes.
She affirmed the commitment to ongoing dialogue, stating: "In order to develop Japan-South Korea relations in a forward-looking way and stably, we will continue our close communication between the two governments including by proactively carrying out our ‘shuttle diplomacy.’"
KPop Demon Hunters, which Netflix has said is its most-watched film of all time, has amassed more than 541 million hours viewed worldwide. It was the highest charting soundtrack of 2025 with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made a splash in theatres in August where it was estimated to have made around $18 million (which would have topped the charts if Netflix released theatrical earnings) and got a subsequent release over Halloween weekend.
On Sunday, the film won a Golden Globe for best animated feature, while ‘Golden’ was named best original song.
In a tearful speech, singer-songwriter Ejae recalled her "tireless" pursuit to become a K-pop idol only to be rejected.
She dedicated the award to "people who have [had] their doors closed at them". Quoting the song, she added: "It's never too late to shine like you were born to be.”
"I'm so part of a song that is helping other girls, other boys and everyone all get through their hardship to accept themselves," she said.
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