On the 19th (local time), the K-pop festival ‘KCON LA 2023′ took place on the second floor of the LA Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. As members Seok Matthew and Ricky of the newly debuted K-pop group ‘ZEROBASEONE’ entered, the 500 fans who had been waiting at the scene rolled their feet and cheered loudly. ZEROBASEONE, loved by these fans, is a multinational group that debuted through audition TV programs, and they have a thicker fan base overseas than domestically. Diverse in ethnicity, with fans ranging from African American to Caucasian to Hispanic, the overseas fans proficiently shouted Korean phrases like “사랑해 (I love you)” and “잘생겼어 (You look handsome),” and some even showed tears of emotion. A 21-year-old fan Sinaiya Diaz said, “I bought a premium ticket for $500, including “Meet & Greet (paid talk show),” to get the closest seat to the members. I wanted to sit in the front row, so I came an hour before the event started and waited.”
KCON, the world’s largest Hallyu (Korean Wave) festival organized by CJ ENM, has surpassed 1.5 million cumulative on-site visitors as of the 18th. This achievement comes 11 years after its first event in Irvine, California, in 2012, and just 4 years since it reached the milestone of 1 million attendees in 2019.
In fact, the line outside the venue stretched all the way to the sidewalk. Visitors quickly became friends, discussing their favorite idol groups during the long wait. Some fans even spontaneously performed an “Kalgoonmu(idol perfect group dance)” to liven up the atmosphere. According to CJ ENM, it is estimated that the event, held over three days from the 18th to the 20th, will attract well over 100,000 attendees. This marks the largest crowd in the history of KCON LA events.
The first day of performances kicked off at 8 PM on the 18th, featuring popular idols like Tae-min, Shownu X Hyung-won (MONSTA X), Tae-yong, and IVE. The concert took place at the Crypto.com Arena, known for hosting the prestigious Grammy Awards ceremony, and the venue was packed with overseas fans from the standing area on the first floor to the “Sky Seats” on the third floor. The fans enthusiastically sang along to K-pop songs, creating a “떼창 (chorus)” that echoed throughout the arena. Whenever their favorite idols appeared on stage, fans would stand up, wave their hands, and even dance to the music.
◇ KCON Becomes a “K-Culture” Comprehensive Gift Set
On the 19th, the LA Convention Center transformed into a “K-Culture Comprehensive Exhibition.” Amidst the stages where K-pop stars personally interacted with fans, there were 50 booths from various small and medium-sized Korean businesses representing beauty, fashion, food, and lifestyle sectors. Fans of K-pop eagerly lined up for each booth, hoping to receive cosmetic samples and other prizes. Lee Jeong-ho, the CEO of cosmetics company BOM, stated, “We are preparing to enter the U.S. market this year, so we set up a booth. The on-site response has been very positive,” adding, “We brought about \5 million worth of products, but it seems insufficient (US$1=\1341).”
Samsung Electronics, the official sponsor of this event, also set up a large booth in the middle of the exhibition hall to promote their new smartphone product, the Z Flip 5. Companies such as game developer Pearl Abyss, Korea Tourism Organization, Asiana Airlines, and Olive Young also set up booths to greet fans. At a corner where idol group CRAVITY personally taught Korean, fans gathered like clouds and read beautiful Korean words from their lyrics, such as ‘눈동자’ (pupil) and ‘오묘한’ (mysterious). What started 11 years ago by renting a concert venue in Irvine, a medium-sized city, and setting up a tent outside has now evolved into a platform that uses K-pop as a medium to provide an experience of Korea itself.
◇ Future Goals to Go “Mainstream”
Experts say, “For K-pop to continue growing over the next 20 to 30 years, it needs to establish a presence in the ‘mainstream,’ connecting with global audiences of all ages.” Despite the explosive increase in worldwide awareness of K-pop in recent years, fueled by the success of major groups like BTS and BLACKPINK, a sober assessment reveals that in the eyes of the U.S. mainstream broadcast and media industries, K-pop is still perceived as a “fringe culture.”
However, signals heralding the beginning of “mainstreaming K-pop” were scattered throughout the KCON event. This year, CJ ENM partnered with iHeartMedia to set up the “K-pop Village,” hosting various events including outdoor stages for artists. iHeartMedia’s radio broadcasts hold such significant influence that they’ve become an essential platform for album promotions even among the biggest local pop stars in the U.S.
KCON welcomed middle-aged K-pop fans as well. Marivic Santiagel, 53, dressed in a white gown printed with the image of popular group SHINee, mentioned that she came to KCON with her younger sister and middle-aged friends. She said, “I listen to K-pop while cleaning my house, and now it feels like K-pop is not just for young people anymore.” In fact, it was easy to spot middle-aged fans like Santiagel proudly displaying photos of their favorite K-pop members on their bags.
“To firmly establish K-pop as a new genre for diverse age groups in the mainstream, we will continue to create interface with global audiences,” stated Junbeom Shim, Head of Music Content at CJ ENM, who oversees K-CON.
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