We had the opportunity to stop by KCON New York for Day 1 in Newark, NJ. (We couldn't go to Day 2… adulting sucks sometimes.)
If you're not familiar with KCON, we'll give you a summary…
KCON is a multi-day convention held in various locations around the world. During the day, there's a convention celebrating Korean culture – everything from Korean fashion, beauty, food and drink, music, television, and movies.
There are also panels and interactive workshops where you can learn how to make things like patbingsu (Korean shaved ice), what it's like being a K-pop idol, and the best Korean skincare routines.
In the evening, there's a concert featuring some of the biggest names in K-pop.
We were lucky enough to spend this past Friday immersed in all things Hallyu.
We visited different booths peddling things like aloe drinks, ultra-spicy ramen (BEWARE), and beauty products for your 10-step Korean skincare needs (your skin will thank you). And there were plenty of booths selling merchandise like albums, posters, and various fashion brands.
We sat in on panel discussions with some of our favorite YouTubers, learned K-Pop choreos (SF9's Easy Love isn't easy), and cheered loudly as we watched people compete for concert tickets in dance-offs.
And one of the most popular parts of the convention is the chance to meet K-pop idols. We came within a couple feet of HIGHLIGHT and KNK. (How are we still alive after that? We're not sure we are.)
Once the convention wrapped up, we headed inside the Prudential Center for the concert. Kevin Woo (a longtime host of After School Club and a member of U-KISS) came out as an early surprise to promote South Korea hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The performances and special stages were incredible. Yuju from GFriend and Dongwoon from HIGHLIGHT performed a rendition of Beauty and the Beast, the members of SF9 fought to propose to a lucky audience member, and Zion.T performed "Complex" from his latest album OO for the first time.
(We've got tons of videos up on our twitter… go check 'em out!)
But the coolest thing we saw at KCON? The diversity of the fans who were beside us.
Thousands of people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages could be found at the convention. We saw and spoke with people from different Asian backgrounds, black people, Latinos, Muslims…
Everywhere you looked there was a different type of fan.
One of the best examples of this was in the dance competitions that went on throughout the day. We saw young fans and older fans alike dancing to hits from SNSD, TWICE, 2NE1, GOT7, and more.
What was even more impressive was the cooperation and friendship the fans showed. When K.A.R.D's hit “Oh NaNa” came on, people were actually splitting up the parts of the choreo, taking turns on the dance floor. Everyone got their time to shine while the audience hyped them up from the sidelines.
There was also no fanwar-ing going on. People were decked out in gear from all different groups (even some that weren't performing).
During the concert, you felt all of the performing artists getting a lot of love. We sat next to someone who was there primarily to see Zion.T, but she cheered just as loudly for other groups and sang along to their songs.
When SF9 performed a special medley of songs, including hits from Infinite, EXO, and BTS, the audience burst into song… which didn't stop until SF9 finished.
It's easy for K-pop fans to forget that there are millions of other fans around the world. A lot of times we don't have many chances to interact with other fans. Or, we get stuck in the fandom of our bias group, so we don't talk to fans of other groups.
But this past weekend, at KCON, all we saw was inclusiveness and open-mindedness. We saw fans of different groups and from all walks of life. Everyone was there dancing and singing together, celebrating another culture and its entertainment industry.
And we realized… we're not really all that different.