KCON Sets New Audience Record Again... Decorating LA Night with 140,000 Fans

140,000 Attendees at LA KCON
Highest Audience Since 2012 KCON Inception
Festival Combining Music and Convention Focus

KCON has once again made history. At ‘KCON LA 2023,’ over 140,000 attendees from around the world visited the event. This marked the largest scale since KCON was first held in 2012. It broke the record set just three months earlier by ‘KCON JAPAN 2023,’ which attracted 123,000 attendees, becoming the most attended KCON ever.

Jang Wonyoung of IVE, special MC for the KCON performance (Photo by CJ ENM)

KCON is a festival centered around music content (performances) where attendees can enjoy the culture of a country. During the period of KCON, the entire area is immersed in Korean culture. This year’s ‘KCON LA 2023’ was held over three days from the 18th to the 20th (local time) at the LA Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, USA. A total of 278 convention booths were set up, with 153 companies and brands participating. The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) advancement support project ‘K-COLLECTION’ introduced K-lifestyle and brand power globally through booths and programs designed to help 50 large and small companies expand overseas.

A Venue to Feel the Popularity of K-Culture

Producer Na Young-seok, who met LA fans during his lecture tour (Photo by CJ ENM)

At the booths filling the LA Convention Center, attendees had the opportunity to directly experience K-beauty, K-content, mobile devices, and more. Samsung Galaxy, the title sponsor, set up zones where visitors could try the new Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 series. Additionally, visitors could experience K-lifestyle at booths such as Olive Young.

At the CJ Live Studio booth, programs from CJ Group affiliates such as Tous Les Jours, Olive Young, and the CJ-UNESCO Girls’ Education Campaign were held alongside artist programs. The event also featured a K-Story zone, expanding the K-content experience and attractions. The tvN variety show ‘Seo Jin’s’ booth recreated the restaurant featured in the show, allowing global fans to experience the crew of ‘Seo Jin’s’ firsthand. Producer Na Young-seok also visited the booth to greet fans in person.

‘K-COLLECTION’ included 50 SMEs from sectors such as beauty, household goods, and food. This year, the panel and workshop sessions featured a ‘K-Variety’ segment with lectures and talk shows by various artists and influencers spanning K-content to K-POP, where producers Na Young-seok and Kim Shin-young met local fans.

For the first time in KCON history, virtual artists appeared. ‘Appoki’ and ‘Playve,’ who have 4.5 million TikTok followers, performed. The new signature content ‘SHOWCASE: NICE TO MEET U,’ first introduced at ‘KCON JAPAN 2023,’ featured special performances by seven artists aiming for global expansion: Eighteen, LimeLight, VERIVERY, CRAXY, JUST B, XG, and RISE.

Audience Filling Crypto.com Arena

IVE performing at LA KCON (Photo by CJ ENM)

For the first time this year, KCON expanded to three shows, lighting up the nights in LA. K-POP performances took place at the approximately 20,000-capacity Crypto.com Arena. A total of 21 artist teams took the stage. IVE, ZEROBASEONE, and ITZY heated up the festival with their Dream Stage performances. At the ‘Gen.Z POP SPECIAL,’ KEP1ER and JO1 covered hit songs from senior idols. Various global artists, including TEN and TAEYONG of NCT U and American rising star Destiny Rogers with her ‘Tomboy’ stage, delivered special performances. Other global artists who graced the stage included ATEEZ, CRAVITY, EVERGLOW, (G)I-DLE, INI, Lapillus, NMIXX, Rain, Shownu X Hyungwon (MONSTA X), Stray Kids, Taemin, THE BOYZ, WEi, XG, and Psykers.

Shim Jun-beom, Head of Music Content Business Division at CJ ENM, said, “It was moving to see global audiences of various ages enjoying culture and having fun with friends, family, and acquaintances. We will continue to do our best to enable more people to newly experience K-POP and K-culture through the festival called KCON.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.