KCON

KCON is the world's largest K-pop fan and artist festival, organized by CJ ENM. Launched in Irvine, California in 2012, it has since expanded to more than 14 countries including Japan, France, the UAE, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia, welcoming over 2.2 million cumulative attendees. The festival operates on two pillars: KCON Convention and M COUNTDOWN Performance. The Convention side features K-beauty workshops, K-food activations, brand booths, and fan engagement panels. The performance component runs across multiple stages, headlined by M COUNTDOWN, bringing together dozens of K-pop acts in a single weekend. KCON LA, held annually in Los Angeles, remains the flagship event. KCON Japan has consistently hosted the largest single-event attendance, regularly selling out Makuhari Messe's largest halls. KCON Japan 2026 is scheduled for May 8-10 in Chiba, while KCON LA 2026 is set for August 14-16 in Los Angeles. For 2026, ZEROBASEONE leader Sung Han-bin serves as KCON Global Ambassador, continuing the festival's tradition of enlisting one of K-pop's most prominent active performers as its face. The event has been instrumental in expanding the K-pop fanbase globally, offering Western audiences a first major point of contact with the broader K-culture ecosystem. CJ ENM also runs KCON:TACT, an online equivalent launched during 2020-2021 that attracted over 4.7 million unique viewers globally.