CJ ENM America & iHeartMedia Los Angeles Form Strategic Partnership for KCON LA 2023

Pop Music Powerhouse Teams Up with Korean Entertainment Leader to Connect with Passionate Fans Around World’s No.1 K-culture Festival

As K-pop continues to be more popular than ever, CJ ENM America and iHeartMedia Los Angeles today announced a new strategic partnership for “KCON LA 2023, presented by Samsung Galaxy (hereafter KCON LA 2023).” The multi-faceted partnership will include sponsorship, content and marketing activities at KCON LA 2023, which is set to take place August 18-20 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena. The world’s No.1 K-culture festival is set to return with extended concert dates and showcase new events on top of its signature fan favorite convention programs and shows from a star-studded lineup of K-pop artists.

“Partnering with iHeartMedia Los Angeles will allow us to bring a truly unforgettable experience to both existing and new K-pop fans,” said Steve Chung, Co-CEO, CJ ENM America. “Together, we combine the best of both worlds, with our expertise in delivering the K-culture experience and iHeartMedia’s reach, influence and unmatched experience engaging with fans in unique and creative ways. We look forward to this being the beginning of a long-term relationship.”

Kicking off with its first edition in 2012 in Southern California, KCON USA has played a significant part in K-pop’s mainstream explosion. A sprawling convention that brings together fans, idols, and industry professionals to celebrate all things K-pop and K-culture, this year’s event will take place August 18-20 at the Los Angeles Convention Center with three nights of concerts taking place at the nearby Crypto.com Arena, both in downtown Los Angeles.

“In a very short-time KCON LA has become a can’t miss event in Southern California,” said Kevin LeGrett, Division President for iHeartMedia, Inc. “iHeartMedia Los Angeles is excited about this new marketing and promotional partnership. Our audio, promotional and digital ecosystem will further activate KCON LA’s massive, loyal and passionate fan base that actively supports businesses that support the K-pop movement. Amplified with iHeartMedia LA’s multi-platforms, we will design sponsor campaigns and deliver results for an amazing KCON LA experience.” 

In 2022, KCON returned in person, with the LA rendition attracting more than 90,000 attendees. It was also streamed worldwide in more than 176 regions.

“We are delighted as iHeartMedia joins KCON as one of our partners especially at an exciting time where Korean entertainment is thriving globally,” said Kim Hyun-Soo, CJ ENM Head of Live Entertainment Business. “Celebrating 11 years since our first U.S. event, KCON has become the signature festival to experience everything K-culture, and as we strive to provide an upgraded KCON experience each year, this partnership with iHeartMedia will help us expand our reach even further.”

The full artist lineup will be released soon, and more details on all aspects of this partnership, including on-site event activation, will be announced in the coming months. For more information, please visit www.kconusa.com.  

About iHeartMedia Los Angeles

iHeartMedia Los Angeles owns and operates KYSR, KIIS, KOST, KBIG, KRRL, KFI, KLAC and KEIB, and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts.  The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

About CJ ENM

CJ ENM is a leading entertainment company founded in Korea in 1995. CJ ENM’s Entertainment division is engaged in a wide range of industry business areas, including media content, music, film and performing arts, providing its leading original content to various media platforms around the world. CJ ENM has created, produced and distributed globally-acclaimed content, including Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” Tony Award-winning musical “Kinky Boots,” record-breaking Korean films including “Roaring Currents” and TV series such as “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” “I Can See Your Voice” and more. United under the slogan “We live to discover Untold Originals,” CJ ENM has three major production and distribution studios: drama production powerhouse Studio Dragon, U.S.-based studio Fifth Season and K-OTT content production studio CJ ENM STUDIOS. CJ ENM also presents KCON, the world’s No.1 K-Culture festival, and MAMA AWARDS, the world’s No.1 K-POP awards, in order to bring K-culture experiences to people all over the world. To learn more about CJ ENM, please visit: http://www.cjenm.com

About KCON USA

KCON USA (kconusa.com) is the largest fan festival in North America celebrating Korean culture and music. The convention launched in 2012 with over 10,000 fans attending and has more than doubled annually since then, reaching over 158,000 fans in 2019. KCON is now established in Los Angeles as the annual flagship event for American fans of Hallyu and Asian pop culture, providing the largest forum for fans to directly connect with each other, as well as artists and professionals from the Korean entertainment industry. In 2017, the brand further expanded internationally, presenting KCON in Mexico and Australia as well as returning to Japan. KCON has also held events in France, UAE and Thailand.