World’s No.1 K-Culture Festival Brings Back Fan-Favorite Panels and Dance Workshops with New Activities to Give the Full “KCONer” Experience
What: KCON LA is back this summer to connect even more fans, artists, and industry professionals for an unforgettable weekend celebration of K-pop and K-culture. This year, KCON returns with an expanded, 3-day show experience with full scale, which also means an expanded and even more star-studded artist lineup. Show attendees will be able to enjoy a wide range of performances, including collaborative stages, fan-engaging events, and the return of the fan-favorite DREAM STAGE.
This year's KCON LA will have more fan-engaging programs and upgraded panels and workshops involving more artists. The convention portion of the weekend will reflect 2023's theme, "BE A KCONer." The convention area will feature various "missions" to take attendees on a journey through the world of K-culture. Fan favorite panels and workshops like DANCE ALL DAY will return better than ever with a space at the convention to film short-form videos of the choreography they learn in the workshops, allowing KCONers to enjoy KCON to the fullest.
After making its debut at KCON JAPAN 2023, “SHOWCASE: NICE TO MEET U” will come to KCON LA to showcase K-pop artists and new performances. As KCON continues to serve as a platform for K-pop artists and new acts to meet their global fans, the showcase will bring the artists to their fans for sessions filled with closer-than-ever interactions.
Also, KCON LA 2023 will be presented by Samsung Galaxy as the title sponsor, ensuring a richer and more exciting experience for K-Culture fans by showcasing brand experiential zones and various artist collaboration content.
K-pop is one of the biggest trends in the U.S. music scene today and for 11 years KCON has been a driving force. K-pop album exports reached a record high of $233 million in 2022, and U.S. was in the top 3 countries that imported the most K-pop albums, importing $38 million. Plus, the global K-pop events market was a $8.0 billion industry as of 2022, and it is estimated to reach $19.5 billion by 2029.
KCON is the world’s No.1 K-culture festival and the Los Angeles convention is their flagship event. This year it is poised to be the biggest and best KCON LA yet.
When: August 18-20, 2023
Where: The Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena
More information can be found at www.kconusa.com
Leading entertainment company CJ ENM successfully wrapped up KCON JAPAN 2023, the world’s No.1 K-culture festival, held at Makuhari Messe. Across three days from May 12 to 14, fans were able to meet their favorite K-POP acts as well as enjoy the taste of K-culture through expansive convention programming.
With around 123,000 visitors, KCON JAPAN 2023 marks the biggest offline attendance in the 11-year history of KCON, thus further cementing its status as a true celebration of all things K-culture.
The three-day K-POP show featured a packed lineup of star-studded acts, including ZEROBASEONE. The 9-piece that emerged from the global audition program 'BOYS PLANET’ met for the first time their fans as a group on the KCON JAPAN 2023 stage, performing “Say my name” and “Here I am.” ZEROBASEONE is set to make their official debut in the coming months.
The full list of K-POP acts that delivered an unforgettable show at KCON JAPAN 2023 are as follows:
DAY1: INI, JUST B, NiziU, STAYC, THE BOYZ, YENA, 8TURN
DAY2: AB6IX, ATBO, ATEEZ, DXTEEN, JO1, LE SSERAFIM, VIVIZ, XG
DAY3: ENHYPEN, iKON, ITZY, Kep1er, TEMPEST, xikers, ZEROBASEONE, &TEAM
KCON JAPAN 2023 expanded the scale of the convention, providing more experiences for K-food, beauty and fashion. Fans were also treated to MEET & GREET with their favorite artists, a taste of Japan’s biggest fashion festival TOKYO GIRLS’ COLLECTION, and an immersive convention of 259 booths and 169 programs that brought K-culture to life.
Looking ahead, KCON will continue its festivities in LA on August 18, 19 and 20. Fans can anticipate more amazing performances, opportunities to meet their favorite artists, and immersive experiences that will transport them to the heart of K-culture. More information on KCON LA 2023 will be unveiled shortly.
For further information on KCON, please visit kconofficial.com.
Leading entertainment company CJ ENM announced TVING originals “Island” and Bargain” had an outstanding performance at the 2023 Cannes International Series Festival (hereinafter referred to as “Canneseries”).
Action thriller “Island” successfully screened at this year’s Canneseries, and was met with an enthusiastic ovation from audiences at the event. Actress Heo Jung-hee, who played the role of Boo Yeom-ji, represented the series, and even walked the Pink Carpet at the festival earlier.
Produced by CJ ENM's production house Studio Dragon, "Island" is a Korean drama that follows a group of individuals who are destined to fight against an evil force that seeks to destroy the world. The series is available for streaming on Prime Video and TVING, and has been officially selected for screening in the Rendez-vous section of the Canneseries. The festival showcases some of the best drama series from around the world and is one of the most prestigious events in the television industry.
Actress Heo Jung-hee expressed her gratitude for the enthusiastic interest in the series and said “I am happy that many people welcomed me and still can't believe it. I think it's because everyone, including the actors and staff, worked hard to create this work. Part 2 of the series, which has not yet been released in France, will be released through Prime Video later this month. Yeom-ji is expected to show more activity in part 2, so please show a lot of interest in part 2 as well. I will continue to work hard to show good works and develop to be able to visit Cannes again.”
Ben Lee, Head of Marketing and Strategy at CJ ENM, emphasized the uniqueness of the series' storytelling and said, "we're thrilled to have showcase this in Canneseries. We believe that the quality of our storytelling and production is what sets "Island" apart and are excited to showcase it on such a prestigious platform. CJ ENM always explores universal themes, such as identity and belonging. We're grateful for the opportunity to connect with a wider audience and share our passion project with the world."
"Island" has already garnered positive reviews and has ranked in the top 10 on Prime Video in more than 60 countries worldwide, according to Flixpatrol. It is currently streaming on TVING in Korea and Prime Video in other territories outside of Korea.
TVING original series “Bargain” has won the Best Screenplay nod at the Canneseries competition. “Bargain” is the first Korean OTT original series to attend and win at the Canneseries competition, further attesting to the global competitiveness of Korean content and creators.
A TVING representative remarked “We are thrilled that TVING original series ‘Bargain’ has won at the Canneseries competition, the first Korean drama to achieve this honor, and carry on the K-content syndrome. We will continue to do our best to discover content that will bring fun and excitement to people around the world and promote TVING’s content competitiveness."
“Bargain” is a CJ ENM-launched OTT TVING original and is scheduled to launch internationally this summer where Paramount+ is available. The series is licensed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Korea, Japan and Taiwan.