At KCON, fans dance with their favorite K-pop idols — and each other

On Friday, the Los Angeles Convention Center was a sea of green.

The convention center was home to L.A.’s 12th annual KCON, a Korean music festival that ran from Friday to Sunday. While the three-day convention began in 2012 as a celebration of K-pop, its programming has expanded to feature panels with K-drama actors, skincare booths and Webtoons, or Korean digital comics.

Each day of the convention culminates in a concert at the Crypto.com Arena. On Friday, the concert closed with an act by K-pop boy group NCT 127, whose signature color is lime green (or, to get specific, “Pearl Neo Champagne”). At both the convention and the show, fans of the group showed their support by sporting green clothing, accessories, bags and banners.

For many, KCON offers a unique opportunity for fans to get up close with their favorite idols. One of the event’s marquee performances is the Dream Stage, where a few lucky winners were selected to dance onstage with a K-pop group during the mainstage show.

24-year-old Jaelyn Jones flew to L.A. from Virginia to audition for Friday’s Dream Stage. Arriving in a lime green T-shirt and matching bandana, she’s one of dozens of applicants vying to perform NCT 127’s “Fact Check” on the KCON stage.

“I’m so proud of everybody here,” Jones says. “Everybody worked so hard, so I’m really excited for the day.”

After receiving the email that she had passed the online round of auditions, Jones put her all into perfecting the dance. A member of the dance crews District Soul and Konnect DMV, she studied videos of NCT 127, learning their style but also adding her own flair to the choreography.

“I’ll work a full 9 to 6 or something, and I’ll still come home and just keep practicing,” Jones says. “I was very dedicated to this.”

The success of KCON, which has attracted 2.1 million in-person concertgoers over its 12 years of operation, signifies a growing international audience for Korean pop culture. Since its beginning, the festival has expanded to 10 countries including Japan, Saudi Arabia and Germany, as interest in Korean culture has spread globally in what has become known as the hallyu wave.

Park Chan Uk, the head of live entertainment business at KCON organizer CJ ENM, points to the popularity of K-pop groups like BTS, Blackpink and Stray Kids as contributing to Korean culture’s international appeal. But Park also cites the global reach of Korean movies and TV shows such as “Squid Game” and “KPop Demon Hunters,” as well as Korean beauty products. Indeed, KCON’s primary sponsor this year is the Korean cosmetics chain Olive Young.

Park says that all these different avenues, from music to skincare, have turned the overseas perception of Korean culture into “a very promising lifestyle that appeals to the global audience.”

K-pop’s international reach was evident in this year’s KCON lineup, which included Full Circle Boys, an American boy group that takes influence from K-pop. The group was created by choreographer Keone Madrid, who is behind several of K-pop’s most famous dances, including Jungkook of BTS’s “Standing Next to You.”

“There are all these amazing groups in Korea,” Madrid says about what inspired him to form the group. “Why isn’t there a group at home for us to work with that will lean into dance as much as these Korean groups do, but also put that American spin on it?”

Aidan Talingting from San Diego decided to come to KCON because several of his favorite groups were performing. But for him and many others, going to the convention had a second purpose: to meet and spend time with other K-pop fans. Talingting traveled to KCON with friends Anitza Cerna and Dahrla Silva, both of whom hail from Tijuana.

“We got to meet a lot of new people,” Talingting says. “It’s been a great experience making friends and seeing your favorite artists. I really love it because it brings everyone together like a family.”

Talingting and Silva, who attended the same high school, met Cerna at a concert in 2023. She approached the two after overhearing them talk about K-pop. For many fans, their shared love of Korean music provides an avenue for forming lasting friendships.

Rookie group Newbeat performs at the KCON convention. Despite being active for less than five months, the group has amassed a loyal fanbase.

(Brian Feinzimer / For The Times)

One such friendship was evident at KCON’s X Stage, where rookie boy group Newbeat performed to a cheering audience. In the middle of the crowd was a group of a dozen or so enthusiastic fans, many of whom were wearing personalized Newbeat jerseys. Though a large number of fans may have interacted with each other online, KCON was their first time seeing each other in person.

One fan, who goes by Ash online, first saw the group at last year’s KCON and was instantly a fan. Benjy, who is based in Boston, became a fan when her K-pop dance crew collaborated with the group. Many of them have supported Newbeat since — or even before — their official debut in March.

“We’re here to wholeheartedly support Newbeat, literally from beginning of the day to end of the day,” says a fan named Olive.

While Newbeat is a lesser-known act, performing only at the convention and as an opening act for Sunday’s main concert, the fans’ enthusiasm is anything but small. They waved signs with the members’ names and pass out homemade pamphlets about Newbeat to convention-goers. They gushed about the group’s multiple performances on the convention floor, which included the premiere of their new song “Cappuccino” and a cover of Katseye’s “Gnarly.”

When asked what made them decide to come to KCON together, they all say in unison: “Group chat!”

The fans, who met on X, are an example of how K-pop and its fandom — particularly overseas fans who can’t travel to see their idols live — leans heavily on the internet. They cast online votes for Newbeat on music shows, attend video fan calls and communicate with the members using Plus Chat, an app that lets fans and idols message each other.

But they also made a group chat to discuss the possibility of seeing Newbeat — and each other — in person at KCON. Several traveled across the country to make their plans a reality, sometimes taking multiple flights.

“As they say, the plans made it out of the group chat,” Olive says.

Fans shop for cards of their favorite K-pop stars outside the Los Angeles Convention Center. Photocard trading is a popular hobby among K-pop enthusiasts.

(Brian Feinzimer / For The Times)

In the few days since meeting in person for the first time, the group has quickly bonded, sharing inside jokes and talking over each other like longtime best friends.

“It’s literally been nonstop talking, laughing — it certainly feels like we’ve known each other for months,” Olive says.

“We get along very well because we’re so passionate about the same thing and supporting Newbeat,” Benjy adds. “We can relate to each other, so I think that’s how we became very close.”

For some attendees, their aspirations at KCON go beyond meeting other fans and seeing their favorite artists. The convention included an open audition for Season 4 of “Produce 101 Japan,” a competition reality TV franchise that aims to create a Japanese idol group. Male applicants were invited to try out for the program with a one-minute song, rap or dance.

19-year-old Chris Zamora from Torrance decided to audition after staff at the convention’s “Produce 101” booth encouraged him to do so.

“I thought going into it would be very nerve-racking, but they were really welcoming,” Zamora says. “They asked a lot of questions, and they obviously care about everyone who enters the audition.”

K-pop fans pose for a photo with NCT 127 after Friday’s Dream Stage.

(Courtesy of CJ ENM)

Outside the Dream Stage tryout room, Jaelyn Jones waits with bated breath. A KCON staff member announces the numbers of the dancers who passed the final audition — and sure enough, Jones’ number is called.

“It just feels very surreal. I feel like I’m not here,” Jones says.

At the mainstage concert that night, the Dream Stage winners rush onto the stage to dance to the chorus of “Fact Check” with NCT 127. The arena lights up in green as K-pop fans — male and female, young and old, from around the globe — perform the high-energy song alongside the group that recorded it.

In the audience are Jones’ friends from home, cheering her on.

“I think it’s gonna become a ritual or traditional type of thing with my friends [where] we come here every year,” she says.