KCON LA Adds Eight More Acts to K-Pop Convention

Organizers of KCON have unveiled a second tranche of talent joining the 10th anniversary edition of the celebration of K-pop and other aspects of South Korean pop culture.

Additional acts announced Wednesday include Ateez, INI, JO1, Kep1er, Lightsum, Loona, NCT Dream and TO1. They join the previously announced stars Cravity, Enhyphen, Itzy, Nmixx, Stayc, the Boyz and WJSN.

The three-day event, now branded as ‘KCON 2022 LA Presented by Toyota’ is backed by CJ ENM, the Korean entertainment conglomerate behind films including “Parasite,” “Decision to Leave” and “Broker.” CJ ENM also recently bolstered its already impressive TV production credentials by acquiring a majority stake in the scripted entertainment division of Endeavor Content.

Ateez is an 8-member boy band. Kep1er is a 9-member girl group, formerly known as Girls Planet 999 which achieved fame on a talent show that aired on CJ ENM’s Mnet channel. NCT Dream is the third spinoff sub-unit of SM Entertainment’s boy band NCT. JO1 is an 11-member Japanese boy band which emerged from CJ ENM’s “Produce 101” TV show, and which is jointly managed by Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo and CJ ENM.

The gathering is set for Aug. 19-21 at Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event will mark the first in-person KCON gathering since 2019. KCON was first held in 2012 in Los Angeles for about 10,000 fans. KCON has since grown to include events in Europe, Asia and more as well as live-stream global events. The last in-person KCON in Los Angeles drew nearly 300,000 participants.

During the pandemic, the event went virtual with ‘KCON:TACT,’ which saw more than 22 million K-pop fans tune in over the last two years. The 2022 convention will continue some of that element and operate as a hybrid combining in-person and digital components.

“The celebration will also feature digital programs to ensure that fans all around the world can take part in the festivities,” KCON organizers said in announcing the talent lineup.

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