Global K-Hop Fans Gather in Seoul for June’s “MK Fest” at Olympic Park

A major K-Hop festival bringing together fans from around the world and professionals from the global content industry will take place in Seoul in June. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency announced on the 1st that they will host the “2025 MK Fest” from June 19 to 22 in the Olympic Park area of Songpa-gu, Seoul. This inaugural festival is a comprehensive cultural event covering popular K-POP performances, content industry conferences, exhibitions and experience activities related to K-Hop, support for domestic companies expanding overseas, and regionally linked tourism initiatives. The festival kicks off on June 19 with an opening concert at the K-Sport Dome (formerly the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium). Numerous popular K-POP artists such as WAYV, Youngji, aespa, ILLIT, Hearts2Hearts, and Ahoop will perform on that stage. Concerts at the K-Sport Dome will resume on June 22 after a one-day break on the 20th. On the 21st, ITZY, Chungha, Heize, Rin, Lee Mu-jin, and B.I.O. will take the stage, while on the 22nd, internationally recognized traditional Korean music groups such as Akdan Gwangchil and YooHuiSCA will deliver performances that blend tradition with modern elements. A international conference will be held on the 20th. Experts from home and abroad, including Mike Ban from Billboard, Daniel Jin, Asia-Pacific Marketing Director at Visa, Choi Jong-il from Iconix, and Lee Young-ah, Strategy Planning Director at Olive Young, will participate to discuss the growth potential of the content industry and its expansion into related sectors. Exhibitions and experience activities tailored for K-Hop fans will also be held. From June 19 to 22, over 100 domestic companies from various fields such as music, dramas, webtoons, food, and lifestyle will showcase their products at the Handball Stadium. Talk concerts featuring celebrities and industry experts, drama production announcements, and “K-Food” pop-up stores will also be available to introduce Korean cuisine to foreign tourists. Strong support will be provided for domestic companies expanding overseas. A large-scale business matchmaking event will take place at Haneul Square in Olympic Park, with over 200 domestic companies and more than 100 overseas purchasing companies participating. This is expected to further accelerate the global expansion of the K-Hop industry. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to utilize this festival as an opportunity to boost tourism by connecting it with local areas. The “MK Fest” will be promoted at K-Hop events held in four cities—Busan (May 30–31), Cheonan (June 4–8), Gyeongju (June 7–8), and Yeosu (June 13–15)—and travel packages linking these local events to the Seoul festival will be created to stimulate regional tourism. Yoon Yang-soo, Director of the International Cultural Promotion Policy Office at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “K-Hop has now expanded beyond popular culture into various industries, leading global consumer trends. We hope that through this event, fans around the world will visit Korea, and K-Hop will further expand its industrial value.”