With Korean culture (often known as theHallyuWave) continuing its global expansion, K-pop has been climbing the charts and fostering international fanbases that rival the biggest Western acts in music. At the forefront of bringing those fans together isKCON, the world’s #1 K-pop fan and artist festival, which combines stunning musical performances from some of the biggest names in the industry with a convention experience that introduces attendees to many other aspects of Korean culture with which they may not be as familiar — whether it’s traditional food, skincare and beauty products, or evenK-Dramasand webtoons.
ScreenRantattended KCON LA 2025 Day 1, experiencing some of the fun interactive opportunities for fans to engage in on the Festival Grounds, and enjoying time at the Artist Stage before heading to the MCOUNTDOWN Stage at the Crypto.com Arena. While there, we spoke with the members of Starship Entertainment’sultra-popular K-pop girl group, IVE, who shared some of their thoughts on KCON. Read our interview below, and check back soon for a full video!
An Interview With IVE Before Their KCON LA 2025 Performance On The MCOUNTDOWN Stage
IVE Shared Their Love For International Fans, KPop Demon Hunters & Erewhon
ScreenRant: KCON is a great place to connect with old fans, but also a great place to show off your moves and songs to potential new fans. How do you choose which ones to perform during your stage?
An Yujin: Especially for KCON in LA, we chose to perform “TKO”, which is [a song] we’ve only performed at our own concert. It’s the first time [we performed it for] broadcast, so we are really excited about it.
ScreenRant: Wonyoung, I know you’ve MC’ed at KCON in the past. How does it feel coming back year after year to so much fan love?
Jang Wonyoung: First of all, I really want to say thank you to my fans. This is a very special moment [for us], as we were working in Korea, but now we are in LA, so we really want to say hi and we love you to our LA fans! I think they felt my love as well.
ScreenRant: This is far from your first large stage performance. What have you learn as a team after each one, such as after doing Lollapalooza recently?
Gaeul: After performing on a large stage, I’ve learned that so many people are actually giving us attention. So many people are actually focusing on us, and it makes me think that maybe we need to sincerely enjoy each stage because the fans are also enjoying it to the fullest. We should relax a little bit and let the tension ease, and all enjoy the stage together along with our fans.
Liz: Throughout those larger performances, what impressed and moved me was the fact that a lot of the fans were singing along with us, even though the lyrics were all in Korean. I was really appreciative and deeply moved, and it also made me realize that I need to be working even harder to help spread K-pop, and that we should also we should work harder develop ourselves.
ScreenRant: Yujin, IVE has been having some fun withKPop Demon Hunters, and I especially loved your “Golden” cover. Do you feel a sense of pride over the consistent climb of K-pop as a genre globally?
An Yujin: For me, when I was young, I was really a huge fan of K-pop, so that’s the reason why I became a Kpop idol. Recently, whenI watched KPop Demon Hunters, it was so amazing and so cool that global fans were really loving and caring about Kpop. I think it’s amazing and [it makes me] so happy.
ScreenRant: I know you’re gearing up for your 4th EP in August, and the teasers are looking mysterious and secretive. What can fans expect from the upcoming project, either musically or in terms of concept?
Leeseo: Our title track off the album to be released at the end of August is called “XOXZ”, and that is actually a very new approach compared to what we have done before. The concept itself is also a very new challenge, so I believe that there is a lot for our fans to expect and anticipate from it. So, everyone, please look forward to it!
ScreenRant: Last but not least, can you tell me one thing you’re most excited to see this weekend, either in LA or at KCON itself?
Rei: We arrived in LA yesterday, and the smoothie we had from Erewhon was so tasty and yummy that I plan to try it again tomorrow before we depart for Korea!
IVE, NCT 127 & More Talented K-Pop Artists Take To The KCON LA 2025 Stage
The Line-Up For August 3 Includes RIIZE, HxW From Seventeen & More
IVE did indeed share their love for fans by performing “TKO” on the MCOUNTDOWN Stage, as well as harkening back to older favorites like “Rebel Heart” and “I Am,” as well as their B-side “Attitude.” While Yujin did not grace audiences with a second rendition of “Golden,” there was plenty ofKPop Demon Huntersrepresentation. The newest girl group formed by the survival showI-LAND2, izna, performed their own cover of “Golden” to wild applause, and Gwi-Ma himself (Lee Byun Hun) opened the show as a special MC.
NCT 127 served as the ultimate headliner, closing out the night with the long-standing DREAM Stage tradition, as is reflective of their stable popularity over 9 years since their debut. See the line-up for the August 3 show, which begins at 8pm PT, here:
What Else Is There To See At KCON LA?
Experience The World Of K-Pop, K-Drama, K-Beauty & More
Walking the Festival Grounds (which only requires a ticket to the convention and can be accessed with the wristband you receive when entering) can already fill up a fan’s day, without even having to pay extra for the MCOUNTDOWN Stage concert. Inside the convention center, there are booths set up to celebrate everything from Korean street food and web comics (ormanhwa) to the astonishingly popular beauty industry.
An Olive Young pop-up store is one of the first exciting sights to greet attendees, especially timely given that the Korean beauty chain will be setting up shop in the United States come 2026. A visit to this booth offers a free tote bag, an opportunity to peruse both acclaimed brands and recent start-ups, and even a Glam Station to test out some of the great products. Several other individual brands, from Colorgram to Dr. Jart, have their own booths available — with lots of products to test or buy, as well as giveaways and fun mini-games.
For fans craving exposure to new artists, or even the chance to see some of their favorite groups out in the open, there are several stages located inside the convention center as well as outside. The Dance Stage provides dance workshops for attendees to join, with up-and-coming artists like 82MAJOR, WAY BETTER, and even Baby DONT Cry on hand to participate in showing off new moves. The X Stage is both a great showcase for smaller artists like NEWBEAT, as well as a location for impromptu fan meetings (such as one withSquid Gamestar Yim Si Wan). Outside by the food court, the Busking Stage has even more artists performing under the sun.
A more intimate and in-depth experience with your favorite K-pop singers can be achieved by visiting the Artist Stage in South Hall, or purchasing a pass for the Meet & Greet stage. On the former, aspiring dancers audition for the opportunity to perform alongside one of the night’s headliners — Seventeen’s Hoshi and Woozi on Day 3, for example - as well as watch groups like Kep1er, CRAVITY, and ZEROBASEONE perform several songs. The Meet & Greet is just what it sounds like, a dream come true that allows fans to interact with their favorite celebrities, from IVE themselves to SM’s popular boy group RIIZE.
KCON LA 2025runs from August 1 - 3, withtickets still availablefor Day 3’s Festival Grounds and MCOUNTDOWN Stage.
