KCON fans pack L.A. Convention Center for K-pop, K-dramas and community

America’s grasp on Korean culture goes beyond the music and viral dance moves. The beauty products and the K-dramas, on top of the music — all of it has become a ubiquitous part of life in the United States, and that was evident on the opening day of KCON, the world’s largest annual convention and music festival that celebrates everything Korean.

Fans traveling from as far away as Hawaii flooded the South Hall of the L.A. Convention Center on Friday for the first day of the three-day event. Once inside, they were able to enjoy musical performances on two different stages, wait in endless lines to get their hands on free products from a number of Korean beauty brands and explore other aspects of Korean culture.

More important, they got to share an experience with their community. Here are some of the highlights from the first day of KCON.

Interactive booths

Aimy Nguyen of Los Angeles tries a cosmetic product at the 2025 KCON.

(Brian Feinzimer / For The Times)

Within the conference, the biggest area belonged to Olive Young Festa market, which was filled with beauty brands trying to get their name in front of people. Each booth created an opportunity to leave the convention with free products. Attendees could be seen walking around with big tote bags filled with freebies.

From creating a story where each person was an intern working for Abib, a Korean skin care brand, to pinning people in a race of stacking blocks for a chance to go home with a Manyo skin product, earning free items was fun and games. Even if they lost, patrons would still leave with samples. It was a win-win situation.

Skin analysis

Winter Camilla does an AI skin and face scan at the Olive Young Festa market on Friday.

(Arwen Clemans / Los Angeles Times)

The amount of product did feel a bit overwhelming. What product works best for a person’s skin? What should you avoid? No need to worry: KCON had an answer. People were able to receive a skin analysis that would help them decide which direction to take.

With a quick scan of the skin on the nose and cheeks, the scan would tell attendees how oily or dry their skin was, how sensitive it was, and would make recommendations on how to treat it, Winter Ramilla, 20, from Hawaii said.

“It’s really helpful if you’re planning on buying a lot of skin care [products],” she added.

After the analysis, she was able to pick from care packages, each with a different purpose, such as slowing aging, hydrating the skin, clarifying it or brightening it.

Why Korean beauty?

Perla Lozano of Los Angeles and Sophie Robles of Paramount apply makeup at the 2025 KCON.

(Brian Feinzimer / For The Times)

What is it about Korean products that has people waiting in line for a long time just to grab some samples? Why are these products preferred over American brands?

“Their skin care prioritizes overall health, if that makes sense,” Sarah Draves, 27, said.

“From my experience, the skincare I used that was American just kind of ripped my skin off,” Anna Draves, 24, added.

The two sisters, who drove from San Diego, were waiting in line to get access to the Olive Young Festa market, where they would have to wait in more lines for an opportunity to get free samples from the Korean brands.

Regardless of the amount of lines they had to wait in, it would pay off with the amount of free product they would go home with, they said.

Fans watch KEYVITUP, a K-pop boy band, perform at KCON’s Music Den Stage on Friday.

(Arwen Clemans / Los Angeles Times)

Sarah and Anna Draves didn’t just travel up to L.A. for beauty products. They also wanted to see some of their favorite K-pop boy bands perform.

“I feel like it’s not just the music,” Sarah said.

It’s “the whole performance,” added Anna. “Everything about it, [including] the dancing.”

But it is also about being around other fans. Whether you were at the Artist Stage or the Music Den Stage, there were groups of friends enjoying the performances, dancing and singing together. Some were even trying to trade photo cards of their favorite idols, Nataly Salazar, 21, said.

“All the opportunities to interact and show our love and support to the artist, it brings everyone together,” Salazar said. “It’s a little community.”