Chairman Lee Jay-hyun of CJ Group.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world, K-pop, a genre of popular music originating from Korea, has found a new contactless path: turning to online channels.

“K-contact 2020 Summer,” the world’s largest online festival, raised its curtain on June 20 for a week-long run. The online K-pop event was organized by CJ ENM, an entertainment unit of CJ Group, who organized KCON around the world in the past.

The festival utilizes a new model by adopting new technologies such as AR and VR.

Thirty-three artists took the stage during the festival. A combined 600 content programs were aired around the clock. They covered diverse programs ranging from live performances to talks with fans and Korean cultural content programs.

The festival was optimized to employ AR and VR technologies beyond simple online performances. Hee Jin, a member of the Korean girl group LOONA, who became the first performer to take the stage on the opening day, fascinated audiences by performing a solo in a square cube realized by AR.

MONSTA X-A performance by FANTASIA, emerging as a new superstar in North Americas, made viewers feel like as they might watch it in a desert with a sandblast.

Former Wanna One member Kim Jae-hwan’s “Goodbye,” which featured him as a meteor falling from stars in the night sky, was lyrical.

New technologies were also employed to present meetings with fans. The online fan meeting “Meet & Green” showed “AR Tower” to reflect fans’ participation.

The more fans join, the higher each artist’ AR tower goes up. Proceeds accruing from the online meeting will be contributed to Unesco. LOONA performed a quiz show with “AR drawing technology” in the online fan meeting.

The festival was abundant with programs publicizing Korean culture to be commensurate with CJ ENM’s representative hallyu (Korean Wave) event. SF9 presented special content to publicize K-food to the world.

It introduced Korean foods with funny games and Korean recipes, drawing keen attention from K-culture aficionados. Min Hyuk, a member of MONSTA X said Korean eating programs brought joy and pleasantness to K-food aficionados.

The festival can be watched via the music channel Mnet YouTube channel and Tving. The monthly viewing price is 24,000 won.

Korean girl group (G)I-dle performs as if acting in a black desert thanks to the employment of a mixed reality technology during K-contact 2020 Summer. (Photos: CJ ENM)

KCON, World’s Largest Korean Wave Convention

KCON is the world’s largest Korean Wave convention. CJ ENM has organized it annually. The festival has been expanded to regions such as North America, Central and Southern America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Oceania to spread Korean culture around the world.

KCON USA, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the cumulative spectators, has emerged as a key event.
KCON 2019 LA had a four-day run, one day longer than the conventional three-day period.

The latest Korean Wave convention was highlighted with souped-up hands-on experience programs such as K-pop, enjoying popularity, K-beauty and K-food content events.

CJ ENM organized the K-Collection, a sales promotion-cum-exhibition for 40 promising Korean SMEs, who do not find it easy to gain access to global markets, at the LA Convention Center in cooperation with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).