By Hong Angie
Video = KCON's official YouTube channel

KCON, the largest K-pop festival in the U.S., has reaffirmed the global popularity of Hallyu (Korean Wave) content.

The organizing company CJ ENM on July 29 said this year's gala in Los Angeles from July 26-28 attracted 125,000 visitors including at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza.

K-pop acts like ENHYPEN, BIBI, BOYNEXTDOOR, INI, Kep1er, P1Harmony, TAEMIN of SHINee, JO YURI, NMIXX, JEON SOMI, NCT127, STAYC, ZEROBASEONE and ZICO impressed the audience with their performances.

An estimated 5.8 million paying and non-paying viewers in 176 countries and global regions watched the event online.

The CW Network, one of the top five U.S. networks, livestreamed the event in prime time throughout the U.S. The main concert "M Countdown" on the last day hit the airwaves to open a new chapter in audience behavior and target expansion.

The event featured not only K-pop but also Korean culture including food and cosmetics and beauty, with 119 companies running 428 booths to globally advance their products. Health and beauty chain Olive Young operated its largest booth in history and its introduction of about 70 brands of small and medium enterprises was extremely popular.

"We again felt the passion of so many fans of K-pop and Korean culture in the U.S., where KCON laid its cornerstone," said Shin Hyung-kwan, head of the Music Content Division at CJ ENM. "As a leading global K-pop festival, we will keep expanding content and contact points."

First held in 2012 in Irvine, California, KCON has spread worldwide to 13 countries with a cumulative 1.96 million visitors. Pioneering the spread of Hallyu, the event in September will be held in Berlin for the first time and advance into the European market.

shong9412@korea.kr