Kanye West to perform in Korea for first time in 14 years

Rapper, producer and fashion designer Kanye West will perform in Korea on Aug. 23 for the first time in 14 years.

Rapper Kanye West [YONHAP]

Rapper, producer and fashion designer Kanye West will perform in Korea on Aug. 23 for the first time in 14 years.

“The first solo concert of ‘Ye’ — heralded as one of the greatest artists of the 21st century — in Korea, has been confirmed,” media brand Channel Candy, organizer of the concert, said Saturday.

The concert will be held at Goyang Stadium, Gyeonggi, according to Channel Candy.

The upcoming concert is a part of listening event sessions that West has been holding in promotion of his new album “Vultures” — a collaborative effort with singer Ty Dolla $ign — released in February. The concert will be jointly hosted by Channel Candy’s parent company Nextis and festival brand Le Grand.

West last performed in Korea as a part of the “Summer Week&T” music festival that was held in 2010 at Naksan Beach in Yangyang, Gangwon.

West has won 24 Grammy Awards and has released nine full-length solo albums that topped the Billboard 200 album chart throughout his career. He topped the Billboard 200 charts on Feb. 24 with “Vultures.”

West was also a fashion designer and creative director for well-known brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gap, Nike and Adidas. The rapper started his own apparel company, Yeezy, in 2015.

West was involved in numerous controversies over the years, and is well-known for canceling album releases and performances. The rapper is also controversial in the political sphere, having said slavery “sounds like a choice” in 2018 and “I like Hitler” in 2022. The rapper ran in the 2020 U.S. presidential election as a candidate of his own political party, "Birthday Party."

Information regarding tickets for the concert has not been disclosed as of Monday morning.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]