As the beginning of July looms near, the Korea Tourism Organization has been gearing up for its fifth annual 'R-16 B-Boy World Championships & Urban Arts Festival', set to take place in Seoul on July 2nd and 3rd! For those of you that are unfamiliar with this event, the 'R-16 B-Boy World Championship' is widely renowned as one of the top five most revered b-boy tournaments on the globe. R-16 features a line-up of over 200 breakdancers from 16 different countries who were selected through regional preliminaries and international rankings in April-June in nine countries, including Japan, China, Russia, Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The press release reports that R-16 is considered a "World Cup for b-boys designed to determine the best of the best." As earlier reported, rapper Tiger JK will be the official spokesperson of R-16, and there will be a special guest b-boy showcase by none other than Jay Park and Art of Movement! "The first day (July 2nd) will feature solo competitions of poppers, lockers, and b-boys, along with a guest showcase by former-2PM-leader Jay Park and his b-boy crew Art of Movement," the press report reveals. The second day will mark the kick off of the official b-boy group competition, as well as a special performance by Tiger JK, singer-songwriter Yoonmirae, and their project group Sunzoo. Furthermore, the "Oneum Chamber Orchestra Collaboration," a forty-piece symphony, will perform the soundtrack for the first time in the festival's history. There will be an official commencement ceremony for the modern music performance, to take place in the Olympic Hall. With the Urban Street Arts Festival taking place concurrently throughout Olympic Park, visitors will be able to enjoy a special R-16 fifth anniversary photo exhibition, hip-hop photo exhibition, graffiti art exhibition, an all-Asia graffiti tournament, as well as an open-air hip-hop street market. Furthermore, visitors will have the opportunity to experience graffiti culture firsthand. The president of Korea Tourism Organization, Lee Cham, has stated, "Through international preliminaries R-16 Korea is quickly becoming one of the newfound tide of the hallyu wave.  With the support of b-boys from the hip-hop culture, intertwined with Taekwondo, Samulnori, and an orchestra, we will continuously mold R-16 as an influential festival sought after by youths across the world." The event is set to take place at the Seoul Olympic Hall of Olympic Park on July 2-3, and tickets can be purchased through Interpark. Seat S and Standing cost KRW 20,000, and Seat A costs KRW 10,000. [caption id="attachment_305224" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="(click to enlarge)"][/caption]