Korea to launch massive global music festival in LA in May 2028

Korea will launch a major global music festival in Los Angeles in May 2028 that organizers hope will rival the U.S.-based Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as well as a new K-pop awards show in Seoul and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in December next year.

A civilian-government committee on pop culture announced the plan during a press briefing in Seoul on Monday, saying the series of events under the “Fanomenon” brand is intended to boost tourism and expand the global reach of Korea’s cultural industries.

The “Fanonmenon” program comprises a fandom-focused annual awards ceremony featuring performances by K-pop artists and an overseas music festival modeled on Coachella, according to the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange.

The name “Fanomenon” merges “fan” and “phenomenon,” underscoring the role of fans as active drivers of Korean culture’s global expansion, according to the committee.

“We’ll start with the Fanomenon Awards in December 2027,” Park Jin-young, co-chair of the committee, said. “We’ll then launch the Fanomenon Festival overseas, beginning in Los Angeles in May 2028.”

The government also plans to build “K-culture centers” in major cities around the world, each featuring a 20,000-seat performance venue along with government offices and exhibition spaces for Korean companies, Park said.

The annual ceremony will run from Dec. 2-12 at Seoul Arena — a 28,000-seat K-pop concert venue scheduled to open in May 2027 in Seoul’s Chang-dong neighborhood — and at the Kintex convention center in Goyang.

The ceremony will recognize the year’s 10 most influential K-pop fan communities, with artists accepting honors on their behalf. Headlining artists will also perform throughout the event.

At an exhibition hall in Kintex, organizers will stage music festival-style events featuring multiple artists, alongside exhibitions and interactive programs allowing visitors to experience Korean culture firsthand. Participating companies will span sectors including food, beauty and fashion, as well as the content industry, such as webtoons, films, television dramas and animation.

“Korean culture is drawing global attention, and its growth must be sustained and expanded,” said Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, also a co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, explaining the purpose of the initiative.

“Our primary goal is to make it an event that people around the world want to attend, while earning the trust of the global entertainment industry,” the minister said. “It is exciting to unveil this plan, and I already look forward to December next year.”

The government said it plans to support the festival’s smooth operation by assisting with key areas, such as immigration procedures and safety management. It also aims to use the event to promote inbound tourism, expanding overseas marketing efforts and strengthening links with major national and regional events to attract as many foreign visitors as possible during the festival.

The committee approved the plan to launch the new festival at a plenary meeting earlier this month, co-chaired by Park and Chae.

The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, a think tank affiliated with the culture ministry, projected that the Fanonmenon events could attract a total of 520,000 visitors, including 200,000 foreign tourists, and generate about 1 trillion won ($679.7 million) in economic impact.

Korea’s four largest K-pop agencies — HYBE, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment — are spearheading the initiative through a planned joint venture, officials said.

Park, the chief creative officer of JYP, said the project is intended to serve public interests, but concerts will be ticketed and backed by sponsorships to ensure financial sustainability.

“The most important thing is that this will make money,” Park said. “It is impossible to attract global artists and companies to an event that does not turn a profit.”

Chae added that while public funds will be used to promote the shows and host various side events, efforts are being made to ensure the project can generate returns.