‘KCON JAPAN 2025’ Unites K-Pop Fans And Artists at Successful Three-Day Festival

Leading entertainment company CJ ENM announced today its KCON JAPAN 2025, held from May 9 to May 11, wrapped with another phenomenal success, surpassing the milestone of 2 million on-site attendees since its inception and once again uniting fans together through an unforgettable celebration of the world’s largest K-POP Fan & Artist Festival.

KCON JAPAN 2025 featured an impressive lineup of performances, fan engagement activities, and cultural exhibitions that showcased the best of K-pop and Korean culture to 110,000 attendees. Over the three days, 33 teams captivated fans and delivered approximately 74 performances across various genres on electrifying stages. KCON JAPAN 2025 expanded its global and digital reach through Mnet Plus, bringing the KCON experience to audiences worldwide.

This year’s KCON theme is “KLOVER’S CLUB FAIR,” inspired by the four-leaf clover—a symbol of good luck and joy. The event aims to bring fans closer than ever to their favorite artists. Just as each leaf of the clover has its own meaning, KCON featured stages and activities catering to diverse K-Pop and K-culture fans, much like a vibrant club fair. 

Fans enthusiastically embraced KCON’s signature experiences: DANCE STAGE for choreography lessons, MEET & GREET for a closer meet-up opportunity with their favorite artists, ARTIST STAGE for intimate 360-degree performances, and X STAGE for genre-crossing shows featuring emerging artists.

Throughout all three days, FESTIVAL GROUNDS buzzed with 270 booths’ activities. In partnership with Korean government agencies, the special K-COLLECTION zone introduced nearly 40 innovative small businesses. 13 corporate sponsors enhanced the overall fan experience. Title sponsor Samsung Galaxy hosted interactive events while CJ Olive Young, Korea’s No.1 beauty and health retailer, demonstrated the global appeal of K-beauty products. Korean food presented by bibigo, Samyang Foods, and Nongshim maintained long lines daily, while CJ 4DPlex brought the excitement to remote viewers through the first-ever live ScreenX theater broadcasts.

Through these efforts, KCON has become a premier global marketing platform, connecting companies with Gen Z and helping them expand their global reach.

Each evening, M COUNTDOWN became the festival’s highlight, with ZEROBASEONE‘s SUNG HAN BIN hosting alongside daily special MCs, joined by fellow ZEROBASEONE member PARK GUN WOOK on Day 1, followed by BOYNEXTDOOR’s JAEHYUN on Day 2 and izna’s BANK JEE MIN on the last day. ‘K-POP GENERATION STAGE’ during M COUNTDOWN featured artists delivering fresh interpretations of K-Pop classics: KickFlip covered Stray Kids, IS:SUE performed BLACKPINK hits, and tripleS reimagined SEVENTEEN songs, among others. DREAM STAGE, one of the KCON signature scenes, created magical moments by bringing fans onstage to perform alongside their favorite artists. KCON JAPAN 2025 concluded with a celebration of KCON‘s milestone of reaching 2 million on-site attendees, selecting a lucky winner during M COUNTDOWN, and presenting them with a KCON all-session pass and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

“We’re continuing to redefine and recreate what a K-Pop festival can be. KCON isn’t just another K-Pop festival – it’s the only global platform that brings together every aspect of Korean culture, while creating a truly immersive fan experience,” said Harry H.K. Shin, Head of Music Entertainment at CJ ENM. “What makes KCON unique is our holistic approach to K-culture. We’ve built an ecosystem where fans can fully immerse themselves in K-Pop, K-Food, K-Beauty, while providing a global stage not only for K-Pop artists but also for innovative small and mid-sized businesses.”

KCON LA 2025 will take place from August 1-3 at the Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The first round of artist lineup has been revealed, and the star-studded lineup includes CRAVITY, HxW (SEVENTEEN), IS:SUE, IVE, izna, JO1, LEE YOUNGJI, NMIXX, P1Harmony, Roy Kim, ZEROBASEONE, and more. 

Since 2012, CJ ENM’s KCON has been a driving force in fostering a global community around K-Pop and demonstrating the immense power of K-Pop fandoms, and has been held in Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mexico, Australia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. KCON is a K-culture festival combining masterfully produced K-Pop shows with a convention where fans can experience every aspect of Korean culture – from music and fashion, to beauty and food.