Hallyu festival coming to Japan for the first time

KCON, the world’s largest hallyu convention, will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on April 22.

Held annually in Los Angeles since 2012, KCON is coming to Asia for the first time this year and visiting Japan, where the hallyu sensation began.

Hosted by Korean entertainment firm CJ E&M, KCON is a comprehensive festival of Korean culture, including fashion, beauty, food, and IT trends coupled with product marketing and live performances by K-pop stars. 

Programs including a K-pop dance cover competition, beauty makeovers, and Korean language classes will be held for visitors to enjoy the complete K-culture experience.

Kangnam, a member of boy band M.I.B who has gained popularity in Korea through television variety shows, has been selected as the convention’s ambassador. Raised by Korean and Japanese parents, Kangnam will be promoting the event in Korea and Japan until April.

Having attracted 114 companies and over 40,000 participants last year, according to CJ E&M, KCON 2015 aims to serve as an entertainment-filled gathering for global hallyu fans and a business platform for Korean enterprises wishing to make inroads into the global market.

By Rumy Doo (bigbird@heraldcorp.com)