While shouts of “Brother saranghae!”, South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun seems pleasantly overwhelmed by the huge crowd gathered in front of the stage at KCON 2024 LA
This year, Los Angeles' largest Korean cultural event took place across three venues: the Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena, and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza downtown.
As journalist Regina Kim interviewed him in front of an audience of hundreds, the star seemed pleasantly distracted, sending smiles, waves and finger hearts to his adoring audience.
Kim Soo-hyun, now 36, made his television debut at age 19 and his popularity has only grown since then.
Kim Soo-hyun at KCON 2024.
(Konuk-ryu)
His latest drama, “Queen of tears”, was a success. The Netflix series was one of the most watched non-English language programs in 2024.
In the 12 years since the first KCON at Irvine’s Verizon Amphitheatre, Korean music, drama, film and television have become a booming micro-economy. The event has expanded along with that growth and now reaches attendees around the world — Germany’s KCON is scheduled for September.
Organizer CJ ENM, one of South Korea’s largest entertainment groups, says this year’s event, held July 26-28, attracted 5.9 million fans from 170 countries, including many TV viewers who tuned in Sunday night to watch headliners like rapper Zico and bands NCT 127 and Enhyphen perform live from Crypto.com Stadium. The show aired on American television for the first time, with actress Awkwafina as a special host.
KCON’s increased scale reflects a deliberate effort by its organizers. Harry HK Shin, director of music entertainment at CJ ENM, said the overall strategy for KCON’s future is to grow in all aspects, including an emphasis on big K-drama stars like Kim, actor Park Min-young (“Marry my husband”) and actor and singer Rowoonwho greeted and welcomed fans at this year's event.
Actor Park Min-young at KCON 2024.
(Konuk-ryu)
The panels, which used to be a more prominent feature, were thinner, allowing attendees more time between speaking events to attend their favorite celebrity's fan meeting or audition for the iconic “Dream Stage,” where fans compete for the chance to dance on the big stage with their favorite stars.
Shin said that public input is essential to creating a KCON experience tailored to what the majority of fans want. The survey information that CJ ENM collects is used when planning the next experience.
“We expanded the survey to learn more needs and opinions,” he said, adding: “We used to have the M Countdown stage [as the main performance stage]But this year we can have a bigger attendance because we have the performances on the KCON stage with a full-day schedule, we have different locations.”
K-pop band Enhyphen on the Dream Stage at KCON 2024.
(Konuk-ryu)
Some KCON veterans believe that bigger isn’t necessarily better. Christian Oh, from the Washington, D.C., area, didn’t attend this year, but he attended and even served as a host, panelist and emcee at previous KCONs from 2015 until the pandemic.
“I think it’s still a viable event to get the word out and promote the event, but I miss the days when everything was so much more accessible,” she said. “I could buy a pass to KCON that was separate from the concert and I could go see the vendors, talk to people, see the smaller shows, just the YouTube or Instagram stars who didn’t have a million followers but were there promoting themselves.”
This doesn't matter much to attendees like Ling Lin, who are drawn to big names.
Lin and her sisters, Lily and Dewi, flew in from Georgia at the last minute to see Kim Soo-hyun. “I have always admired him as a person. He comes from a humble background and remains humble,” Lin said.
Lin represents an overlooked demographic: K-culture fans in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have money to spend following their favorite actors around the world, booking trips to South Korea and attending multiple concerts and events in a year.
Two fans look at the artists' outfits on stage at a K-pop museum installation at KCON 2024.
(Konuk-ryu)
Of course, the younger demographic is still represented. A group of young women, hoping to see Enhypen the following night, occupied a row of tents on the sidewalk in front of the Crypto.com Arena.
And people of all ages were excited to cheer on the girl group Bini, The first all-Philippine act to take the KCON stage.
For Kyra Godoy, a 20-something K-pop fanatic of eight years, one of the biggest draws to the event wasn’t the big stars, but the fan culture itself. A longtime fan of K-culture, the Los Angeles-area resident said she always wanted to attend KCON and finally got the chance when she and her sister won VIP tickets through sponsor Samsung.
“Everyone has been very nice,” Godoy said during a break inside the stadium. “I think it’s nice to be surrounded by so many people who like the same thing.”
