By Honorary Reporter Jasmin Mikolay from Germany
Photos =  CJ ENM

After its summer run in Los Angeles, KCON made its debut in Germany. 

From Sept. 28-29, the Korean entertainment company CJ ENM brought the world's biggest Hallyu (Korean Wave) event to the event venue Messe Frankfurt featuring the vibrant world of Korean music and culture.

Under the theme "Museum OF Poppia," the event started on Sept. 28 with the Dream Stage Audition for ILLIT with selected dancers auditioning to perform with the girl group. ILLIT members Wonhee and Minju announced the finalists, who got to perform alongside the group that evening. 

The next day saw another audition to pick dancers to perform with RIIZE to "Get A Guitar."

In addition to the main stage, numerous booths showcased Korean beauty and food for sampling and purchase and photocard giveaways highlighted popular boy bands like ATEEZ and ONF. Other events offered prizes such as cosmetic and food samples and personalized transportation tickets for visits to Korea, complete with names in Hangeul.

The KCON app allowed users to precustomize a personal schedule to cover all KCON attractions. The first day featured a mini concert of acts like Dreamcatcher, Lee Young Ji, ONF, izna and THE BOYZ, accompanied by cheers and sing-alongs. The second day saw EVNNE, JO1, Kep1er, KISS OF LIFE and YUGYEOM from GOT7.

Following the performances, exclusive meet and greets saw games and audience participation. A designated table maintained safety distances, allowing fans who purchased tickets to "Hi Wave" to greet K-pop acts with waves and heart gestures. On Sept. 29, RIIZE greeted fans.

A performance by THE BOYZ captivated the audience as fans waved their light sticks in unison, filling the venue with energy. A standout moment was EVNNE and YUGYEOM of GOT7 performing "Hard Carry."

Sunwoo of THE BOYZ teamed up with rapper Lee to perform "Best Friend" by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat, igniting the crowd with their infectious energy. The impressive lineup of artists also included EVNNE, ILLIT, JO1, KISS OF LIFE, Miyeon from (G)I-DLE and NOWADAYS.

The final day had Dreamcatcher, izna, Kep1er, KEY, Lee, LUN8, ONF and RIIZE perform at the Festhalle, wrapping up a weekend celebrating music and talent.

Nearly 30,000 fans attended KCON Germany, with the livestream audience reaching 4.1 million viewers in 170 nations. This marked a promising return to Europe for the event, which was last held on the Continent in 2016 in France.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.