The Hallyu wave was in full force in Mexico as the K-CON drew in over 33,000 fans for the convention that celebrates Korean music, arts and culture. The huge turnout cemented the success of the event which only started in 2017.
According to HK Shin, president of CJ&EM Music Division, they were overwhelmed by the show of support from the Latin America market. They said that the reaction in Mexico was everything they have ever hoped for in expanding to a new country.
Among the highlights of the two-day event included performances from Astro, BTS, Eric Nam, EXID, Infinite H, Monsta X, NCT 127 and Red Velvet. There were also dance workshops, and a wide array of Korean products, food and culture on display from March 17-18, reported MultiChannel.
The online streaming of the event through KCON.TV also brought the event to 200,000 viewers from North America and South America. The event was viewed by over 30,000 viewers.
"While many people think of just K-Pop but there is a whole lot more to Korean culture and it's incredible!" KenroVlog, Peruvian Youtube celebrity said. "This was my first time and it certainly blew my mind along with thousands of Mexican fans."
Meanwhile, K-pop night also drew in a crowd of 2,500 at the SXSW Music Festival held in Austin, Texas. A solo performance by SISTAR's Hyolin, Red Velvet, Yoon Mi-rae, No Brain, Galaxy Express and Big Phony were the main highlights of the night and brought K-pop fans to their feet, reported Yonhap News.
According to Lee Hyun-joo, an official at Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) which is the organizer of the event, the huge turnout and the positive response of the audience reconfirmed the growing stature and reach of K-pop among global fans. He said that their agency is planning to hold a similar event in Great Escape music festival in Britain in May.
