사진 확대 Choi Hwi-young, co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange and minister of culture, sports and tourism, left, and Park Jin-young, chief producer at JYP Entertainment, answer questions at a press briefing on the 27th. News 1
The government and major domestic entertainment companies will join forces to launch Phenomenon, a large-scale global K-culture festival centered on K-pop, for the first time in 2027. The plan is to develop it into a comprehensive festival that goes beyond music performances and award shows to include games, webtoons, films, dramas, food and beauty, with the goal of attracting 520,000 visitors a year and generating 1 trillion won in economic impact.
The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange held a press briefing at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), in Seoul on the 27th and unveiled its plan for Phenomenon 2027. When the committee was launched last year, it declared that it would create a K-pop festival that surpasses the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the largest music festival in the United States. The event will be held from Dec. 2 to 12, 2027, at Seoul Arena in Chang-dong and Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Ilsan. Seoul Arena will host large-scale K-pop concerts and a fandom awards ceremony, while KINTEX will feature a music festival along with K-culture company exhibitions and hands-on programs. The Korea Culture & Tourism Institute expects a total of 520,000 visitors, including 200,000 foreign tourists, and more than 1 trillion won in economic impact if the event is held.
Co-chair Choi Hwi-young said, “Phenomenon is a new attempt to create a massive K-culture platform where fans around the world can participate directly and experience it firsthand.” He added, “We will make it an opportunity for content, tourism and related industries to grow together.”
Co-chair Park Jin-young said, “The goal is to sustain as long as possible the opportunity that K-culture has been given.” He emphasized, “We must view fandom as an industry, and South Korea should become the leader of that industry.”
One of the biggest features of the event is that it will honor fandoms rather than singers. Park said, “K-pop fans are not just consumers; they are partners who help promote and grow artists.” He added, “The purpose of the awards ceremony is to present the concept of a fandom industry to the world and encourage it.” On fairness in evaluation, he noted, “Many of the diverse activities fans engage in, such as streaming and social media activity, can already be tracked through data to a significant extent.” He said the committee would “build a trustworthy evaluation system based on objective data.”
In response to concerns raised by some that this amounts to government-led cultural planning, Park drew a line, saying, “The biggest difference this time is that the private sector comes up with the ideas and the government supports what is needed.”
Addressing concerns that artists from small agencies could be left out, Park explained, “The purpose of this event is to create new opportunities for emerging agencies, rookie artists and a wide range of content companies.” He added, “Top-tier artists will serve as headliners, but many performances and events below them will create opportunities for broad participation.”
Park also said the committee will seek to hold a Phenomenon Festival that tours major cities overseas starting in 2028, and in the long term, it will push ahead with plans to build K-Culture Centers in major foreign cities that combine performance venues with exhibition spaces for Korean companies.
Los Angeles is emerging as the likely first overseas host city. Park said, “My dream is to create a festival that draws the attention of fans around the world to Seoul every December. It is not an easy challenge, so I ask for your interest and support.”
Phenomenon
Phenomenon is a newly coined word that combines “fan” and “phenomenon.” It reflects the idea that fans are not merely consumers, but active participants who help drive the spread of K-culture.
[Reporter Kim Dae-eun]
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.