Korvia Spring Party 2026 Recap — 100+ ESL Teachers, Squid Game Dalgona, AirPods Raffle in Itaewon

On Friday, April 25, 2026, more than 100 ESL teachers packed into Waikiki Beach Pocha in Itaewon for the Korvia Spring Party 2026 — an afternoon of bilingual quiz battles, the iconic Squid Game dalgona challenge, a Polaroid memory zone, and a grand-prize raffle headlined by a brand-new pair of Apple AirPods. From 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the patio buzzed with first-year EPIK arrivals, returning hagwon teachers, GEPIK and SMOE veterans, and Korvia coordinators catching up with familiar faces.

For anyone considering teaching English in Korea — or for current teachers wondering what kind of community waits on the other side of the visa — this recap is what a Korvia season opener actually feels like in 2026.

Itaewon's Waikiki Beach Pocha — Why This Venue

Waikiki Beach Pocha sits a short walk from Itaewon Station (Line 6, Exit 3)at Bogwang-ro 59-gil 43, Yongsan-gu — a covered tropical patio that the team has booked out for Korvia parties since 2023. The wide LED stage at the back becomes the quiz screen, the dalgona station, and the raffle reveal one after the other. It's a venue that makes a 100-person event feel intimate rather than chaotic.

For most international attendees, this was their first time in Itaewon since arriving for EPIK orientation. For others, it was the first weekend since signing a hagwon contract. Either way, it's the kind of casual, English-friendly bar that helps new teachers feel like they've actually arrived.

Hosted by TV Personality Kesung Anderson

Hosting the afternoon was Kesung Anderson — Korean-American TV personality and former U.S. national track athlete, known to Korean audiences through KBS1's Hometown at 6 (6시 내고향), MBN's My Neighbor Charles (이웃집 찰스), and JTBC's Stars of Korea (대한외국인). Kesung has been Korvia's regular MC for several seasons now, and his bilingual delivery — flipping between English banter and Korean punchlines — keeps the room together when half the crowd just learned their first 10 Korean phrases at orientation and the other half has been here for five years.

As Korvia's teacher community has grown more international, Kesung's emceeing has become a quiet trademark of these events: he translates without breaking the joke, and he reads the room like someone who's lived on both sides of it.

The Bilingual Quiz Battle — Sandra Takes the Crown

The afternoon's first headline event was the Blooket quiz battle — a 20-question rapid-fire round covering Korean culture, EPIK trivia, classroom Konglish, and a few deliberately impossible curveballs. After a practice round at 2:10 PM, the main competition kicked off at 2:20 PM, and the patio went quiet in the way only a room full of teachers competing for AirPods can.

When the dust settled, the leaderboard was: Sandra in 1st, Thomas in 2nd, and Colleen in 3rd. Each podium finisher walked away with a Purple Raffle multiplier and serious bragging rights for the next intake's WhatsApp group. (For anyone new to Korea: yes, every teacher cohort has a WhatsApp group, and yes, the Korvia Spring Party leaderboard is canon.)

The Squid Game Dalgona Challenge

From 3:00 PM, the patio shifted into the Squid Game dalgona challenge, run by event partner Korean Safari. Each teacher got a freshly pressed dalgona (달고나) — the same caramelized sugar candy that made the Netflix show a household name — and a pin to carve out the embedded shape without cracking it. Triangles were merciful. Umbrellas were ruthless. The umbrella, as anyone who's watched the show knows, is where the smiles started leaving people's faces.

The challenge doubled as Korvia's soft introduction to one of Korea's most iconic street snacks — the kind of moment that turns into a story new teachers tell their families back home for years.

Polaroid Memory Zone — 200 Instant Shots

Tucked beside the stage, the Polaroid Memory Zone ran on 200 instant film shots prepared in advance. Teachers took home printed photos with their first-week friends — the kind of physical artifact that feels increasingly rare in a smartphone-only event culture. By 4:30 PM, the supply was gone and the photo booth had organically turned into a mini reunion zone.

Sponsors Who Made It Possible

A free 100-person teacher event in central Seoul does not happen on good vibes alone. The Korvia Spring Party 2026 was made possible by four partners every English teacher in Korea should already know:

• SentBe — the international money transfer app of choice for Korea-based teachers sending money home. SentBe sponsored the Golden Raffle, including the AirPods grand prize, and unlocked entries for anyone who downloaded the SentBe app or had any prior SentBe transfer history.
• Kimchi Mobile — the bilingual mobile carrier that most international teachers use for their Korean SIM, MNP transfers, and eSIM activation on arrival. If your phone is working in Korea, there is a non-trivial chance Kimchi is the reason.
• Korean Safari — the cultural-experience operator that runs Korean BBQ tours, K-pop dance lessons, and the dalgona challenge. They handled the on-site cultural programming for the afternoon.
• Waikiki Beach Pocha — the venue partner. Open patio, full LED stage, English-friendly staff, and walking distance from Itaewon Station Exit 3.

Korvia is open to additional partners for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 editions. If your brand serves Korea-based foreign teachers, students, or expats, we'd love to hear from you.

Grand Raffle — AirPods, Kodak Charmera, JBL Speakers, and More

The afternoon closed with the two-tier raffle — Korvia's signature ending. The Purple Raffle rewarded earned tickets (check-in, quiz wins, game participation, networking introductions). The Golden Raffle, sponsored by SentBe, was for anyone with a SentBe app install or prior transfer history. Combined, the prize table looked like this:

• 1st Place — Apple AirPods (Golden Raffle grand prize)
• Kodak Charmera 1987 mini retro digital camera
• JBL portable Bluetooth speaker
• Premium K-beauty cosmetic sets (multiple winners)
• Waikiki Beach Pocha dining vouchers (multiple winners)

For anyone planning to attend a future Korvia event: the math on these raffles is genuinely friendly. With 100 attendees and double-digit prize slots, your odds of leaving with something are real.

Spring Party 2026 — Aftermovie

Frequently Asked Questions