▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows "KCON 2022 Japan," which took place in Tokyo. (PHOTO OT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows fans looking at group DKZ. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows mother and daughter fans who have visited the concert. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows INI who are posing before the concert. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲This photo, provided by CJ ENM, shows TO1 who are performing on KCON stage. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- CJ ENM's Hallyu concert/festival, KCON, which returned to Tokyo after 5 months, has ended in an ebullient mood once again.

KCON in-person concert, which was suspended for two years due to COVID-19, resumed this year, starting in Seoul in May, followed by Tokyo on Oct. 14-16, Chicago and LA in U.S., and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

The venue for the "KCON 2022 Japan" concert was Ariake Arena in downtown Tokyo, not Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, where KCON was staged in the first half of the year. It was the first time KCON took place in multi-purpose facility built for the Tokyo Olympics volleyball game.

5 to 6 hours before the concert started, Ariake Arena was already crowded with people trying to enjoy Korean culture. It was easy to spot people taking pictures with items(goods) of their favorite idols.

A woman in her 20s living in Tokyo said, "I took a day off to come here," adding, "I am excited to meet Korean idols who I could not see up close."

A woman in her 40s, who came to Tokyo with her daughter from the Kansai region, said with excitement, "I went to KCON concert in May, but this is my daughter's first time," adding, "I bought cosmetics at the booths near the venue. I want to go on a trip to South Korea soon."

J-U of boy group TO1, who interviewed prior to the concert, said, "I have been to Sapporo right before debut, and I want to repay the energy I received from Japanese fans at that time with good performance."

Another member of T01, Jaeyoon, said, "Since the pandemic is near the end, I believe we will be able to come to Japan more often in the future," adding, "I want to communicate more with Japanese fans."

TO1, composed of Korean and Japanese members, collaborated with the boy group INI, an idol group created in Season 2 of the Japanese audition program "Produce 101 Japan," at this concert.

"Collaborating with TO1 is a new challenge," said Kyosuke Fujimaki of INI, who is enjoying great popularity in Japan.

Hiroto Nishi ,when asked if they have any plans to perform in Korea, said, "I don't know how many fans we have in Korea, but I would be delighted if there were an opportunity to express our gratitude to the fans."

When TO1 and INI began their opening stage together, Ariake Arena was filled with excitement and enthusiasm. While shouting and cheering was banned to prevent the spread of COVID-19, cheers were heard from all over the place.

TXT,who first appeared in KCON and Octpus, another group created by season 2 of "Produce 101 Japan," followed.

Girl group Le Sserfim greeted in Japanese and sang three songs including their new single.

Girl groups NMIXX and Viviz also performed.

Audiences did not leave even after all the performers went on the stage to say good bye and left the stage.

ATBO, New Jeans, IVE, J01, Jo Yu-ri appeared on concerts in Oct. 15 and Oct. 16.

CJ ENM announced on Tuesday that around 65,000 audiences visited the Ariake Arena to enjoy Hallyu concert and festival, and around 8,700,000 participated online.

CJ ENM's general manager of Music contents, Kim Hyun-soo, said, "Popularity of Hallyu was able to be confirmed by this year's KCON."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

(END)

 

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]