KCON reignites K-pop festival in 3 years

연합뉴스 / 2022-08-22 16:16:54

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM shows, scene of KCON. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM shows, fans at KCON. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM shows fans dancing to K-pop throughout KCON. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, August 22 (Yonhap) -- K-pop festival, KCON which has returned from three years of absence due to COVID-19 successfully ended on August 21 (US time) in Los Angeles.

CJ ENM which is in charge of KCON announced, over 7.1 million fans from over 176 countries have gathered up to see their K-pop idol perform at “KCON 2022 LA.”

KCON is considered to be one of the biggest conventional event for K culture which features K-pop concerts, and hands on experiences, the festival is intended for those who enjoy and love Korean contents such as K-pop. Year 2022 marks the tenth anniversary of KCON.

CJ ENM could not host KCON since year 2020 due to mass spread of COVID 19 until this year’s KCON in Los Angeles.

For K-pop fans spread throughout the world, “KCON 2022 LA” was broadcasted live throughout online.

Over 90 thousand fans have gathered up at LA convention center and Crypto.com Arena for the offline events, and over 7.08million people have participated through South Korean Over The Top content provider TVING and through YouTube channel.

Offline concert held in LA drew fans from all over the United States.

“K-pop draws us like gravity, I am so thankful that K-pop exists in this world.” stated Kaila who drove over 5 hours from Arizona state to participate in KCON with three of her friends.

Stephanie from Texas Huston announced that “I could not make it to BTS’ LA concert in 2021, however I am very happy to be part of KCON this year.”

K-pop concert held in Crypto.com Arena from August 20 to August 21 provided solution to K-pop fan’s hankering for K-pop performance through dynamic performances.

K-pop group ITZY, ENHYPHEN, KEP1ER, Cravity, Stayc, LIGHTSUM, TO1 and more trend leading K-pop groups to recently debuted idol numerous artists took the stage in KCON.

Exhibition held at the LA Convention center to demonstrate the superiority of Hallyu contents showcased a segment where fans could get on the stage with their favorite idol under the name of “Dream Stage.”
Moreover, hands on experience such as making movie and drama posters using Augmented Reality, tasting samples of Korean food and K beauty experience sections were provided throughout the event.

KCON which celebrated its tenth anniversary drew a lot of attention from local media such as Variety, Billboard, CBS and over 100 different media paid a visit to cover KCON.

Variety news media stated “After a long break from in-person gatherings, the CJ ENM team is working overtime to ensure that KCON comes back strong.” adding “As KCON has grown, so has its platform. Today, the event is also a showcase for Korean beauty products, foods, toys and other aspects of Korean culture.”

Moreover, representative of Music content division of CJ ENM, Kim Hyun-soo stated that “KCON started off with only 10,000 audiences, however within 10 years it became the foundation of K-Culture festival.” adding “We plan to develop KCON into an online and offline platform to greet fans from all over the world.”