Asian pop stars to add sparkle to G-20 summit

The Asia Song Festival, an annual pop music event hosted by Korea, was set for October 23 this year in celebration of the November meeting of leaders from the world's 20 biggest economies in Seoul, they said.

All proceeds from the festival will be donated to UNICEF for children in flood-struck Pakistan.

"I've been trying to do this kind of peace concert for many years," Jackie Chan, a Hong Kong actor and producer named as the honorary chair of the festival's organizing committee, said at a press conference.

"Every day I watch the news and read newspapers. I ask myself, 'What's wrong?' Natural disasters we cannot stop, but people-created disasters we can stop," he said.

South Korean pop diva Boa, also active in Japan and the United States and set to make her Hollywood acting debut next year, will perform at the festival.

The tentative lineup also features Jane Zhang, dubbed China's Mariah Carey for her high octave range, Taiwanese singer and entertainer Joe Cheng and Malaysian singer-songwriter and Asia-wide sensation Michael Wong.

A total of 15 teams from seven countries will participate in the event to be held at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, the organizers said.

The Asia Song Festival, launched in 2004, is jointly organized this year by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, the Metropolitan Government of Seoul and the Korean Committee for UNICEF.