For music fans, drama lovers and makeup enthusiasts alike, the Los Angeles Convention Center was the place to be this weekend. KCON USA, presented by Samsung Galaxy, returned to the Golden State for the 12th year in a row, taking over not only the convention center but also the Gilbert Linsday Plaza and the Crypto.com Arena for the three-day event, which ran from July 26 to 28.
From KCON veterans to first-time attendees, the Crypto.com Arena was lit up with talented acts. The first night saw performances from BOYNEXTDOOR, BIBI, Taemin, P1Harmony, Kep1er and INI, with Korean actor and idol Rowoon serving as the host. The second day had Jeon Somi hosting and ENHYPEN, NMIXX, god, ME:I, TWS and Jo Yuri hitting up the stage. On Sunday night, Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun emceed with Jeon Somi returning for her own performance; NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE, STAYC and ZICO then closed down the convention. In addition to these exciting performances, KCON also made U.S. history with the first-ever national primetime broadcast of a K-pop concert on The CW Network.
“I’m really excited. Like, you don’t see this every day,” said KCON attendee Jamyia. “I’m happy to see it’s grown. … You never know what can happen. Even after COVID, [K-pop’s] getting bigger and bigger, which is a really good thing because now you’re not just hearing regular music on the street — we’re listening to stuff that’s much easier, much more subtle and something newer.”
But of course, the concert was only one aspect of the three-day event. The convention not only touted vendor booths full of various freebies from beauty to food to tech, but it also featured special engagements where fans got to know their favorite idols on a deeper level. Fans were treated to several ‘Meet & Greet’ and ‘Connecting’ stages (featuring interviews with groups like POW and actors like Park Min-young) and activities throughout the weekend, as well as special daytime performances on the KCON stage.
Attendee Tien Vo bought tickets to the convention for the special fan meeting with Kim Soo Hyun. “You only live once, you know? I didn’t want to miss this chance to see him in person since he rarely comes to the States,” she said as she exited the convention hall after his event.
Outside of the convention floor, attendees were able to sit in on hosted panels about Korean pop culture and the music industry as a whole; some topics included lightstick decoration classes and a conversation with hip-hop stars Killagramz, Junoflo, Justin Park, Ak2daface and AP. Fans were also able to dance their hearts out at the ‘Dance All Day’ event at Gilbert Linsday Plaza, which hosted random play dances, dance crew performances and more.
As K-pop continues to become more widespread and expand across the globe, the convention remains an integral part of the community. “A lot of us aren’t from the same area,” said Justin, an attendee who came with a group of friends he met on Discord. “We’re all from different places, so we come to KCON to meet up, hang out and have a good time.”
Belén, an Argentinian fan who has attended KCON LA for years, shares a similar view: “We don’t have this kind of event in Argentina, so when I come here, it’s crazy to see a lot of idols so close. I think it’s a great opportunity to get to know new groups [and] to make friends.”
This year’s KCON LA delivered one-of-a-kind fan interactions, but the heart of the convention lies in bringing the huge international K-pop community together as the community grows larger.
So, until next year, “Let’s KCON!”
