KCON JAPAN 2025 Concludes Successfully with 110,000 Attendees Over Three Days

The “KCON JAPAN 2025” event organized by CJ ENM successfully concluded its three-day run from May 9 to 11 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 110,000 attendees attended the festival, confirming its status as the world’s largest K-POP fan and artist interaction festival. A total of 33 groups of artists participated in this event, delivering around 74 performances and various other programs. Under the theme of “KLOVER’S CLUB FAIR,” the festival featured five special stages. These included a “Showcase” to introduce emerging artists, a “Dance Stage” where fans could learn choreography directly from artists, “MEET & GREET” sessions to meet favorite artists, an “Artist Stage” offering close-up views from a 360-degree stage, and an “X Stage” dedicated to showcasing new talent. The “M COUNTDOWN” stage served as the highlight each evening, hosted primarily by Sung Hanbin of ZEROBASEONE with special guest hosts accompanying him on different days. On the “K-POP GENERATION STAGE,” artists such as KickFlip, IS:SUE, and tripleS presented reinterpreted versions of classic K-POP songs. The festival site housed 270 booths covering K-POP, food, lifestyle, and beauty categories, allowing MZ-generation visitors to experience a wide range of K-culture offerings. Thirteen major sponsors, including Samsung Galaxy, CJ OLIVE YOUNG, Bibigo, and CJ ONSTYLE, participated, with an increase in sponsorship levels compared to the previous year demonstrating KCON’s solid position as a global platform. Experience events such as the K-Beauty OLIVE YOUNG School, K-Trend Live, and Bibigo School attracted large crowds. Additionally, the “K-Collection” event, carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Startups to support small and medium-sized businesses struggling to expand overseas, saw 39 companies from the beauty, food, fashion, and content sectors take part. Yoon In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the event site, toured the performances and convention booths, and commented on Hallyu’s influence by saying, “Our country’s culture has reached such a high level.” Major local Japanese terrestrial TV channels paid attention to the success of KCON JAPAN 2025, with Japanese media highlighting it as evidence of a fourth wave of Hallyu. KCON also enabled global K-POP fans to participate through digital platforms such as Mnet Plus, Tving, and YouTube. As a result of this event, KCON surpassed 2 million cumulative attendees in its 13-year history. CJ ENM plans to hold “KCON LA 2025” from August 1 to 3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena. Twenty-two groups of artists, including NCT 127, aespa, RIIZE, KISS OF LIFE, MEOVV, NOWADAYS, MONSTA X, KEY, and HWASA, have been confirmed to perform at KCON LA 2025.