Hallyu Con, Where Korea Meets You.
Another year has passed, which means the time has come once again for Hallyu Con! This years events happened on September 22nd at the Samsung KX centre, supported by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), Life4Cuts and as always, the Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK).
Hosted by co-founder Shai, the event brought London the best of Korean culture for one fun-filled afternoon. With culture, beauty, and food, this was Hallyu Con 2024.
Vendors
A series of vendors lay scattered across the event, each offering guests an exciting new experience.
First was Life4Cuts, an obvious favourite of the general public. The photo booth - complete with a variety of cute accessories such as hats and headbands - offered its classic photo strips to guests, giving them a cute keepsake to comemmorate their time at the event.
Guests could also visit the next table, where they could get their names written in Korean calligraphy by none other than calligrapher and calligraphy instructor Kil-Chan Lee from Hangeul Calligraphy London, who artfully painted patrons names in Korean Hangeul with a traditional calligraphy brush, with beautifully delicate strokes.
Main Stage
Away from the general buzz of the event, the main stage held a series of exciting panels and performances.
First was a series of traditional Korean games with the KCCUK, where guests had the opportunity to win various K-Pop merchandise if they won!
Next blended culture and fashion, as Hanbok Wave UK took to the stage to showcase traditional Korean Hanbok with the Gatwalk featuring the Hanbok and traditional Gat (hat worn by noblemen), promoting cultural appreciation and how it could be incorporated into modern fashion. Co-founders Becky Lee Smith and Mikey Espinosa explained their intentions of modernising the Hanbok and highlighting traditional designers, equating the Hanbok to "the wind".
Pureseoul took to the stage next, with South Korean make up artist Kelly Shin demonstrating how to do popular K-Pop girl group makeup using products from the nearby Pureseoul table. She then joined the Pureseoul team on a panel, debunking popular K-Beauty trends, and also giving their own tips and tricks to the audience, as well as answering any questions.
Next was time for music. Traditional Korean dancer Yerin Lee beautifully swanned across the stage in a light and nostalgic dance performance, centering a delicate Korean fan. The stage was then taken by Ji-Eun Jung, a master of the traditional instrument the Gayageum and leader of the band KAYA, who mysteriously plucked at the strings of the Gayageum, as magician Yollin Lee enticed the audience with his intriguing magic tricks.
After the magic, Jung then graced the audience with a dramatic Gayageum solo, showcasing her masterful skills and engaging the audience to then join her as she sang along to the famous Korean folk song "Arirang". Dancer Yerin Lee then took to the stage again in a stark contrast to her last performance, continuing the dramatic atmosphere with a dark and striking dance sequence, complete with the fierce strength of dual swords.
The performances took a pause, as a panel about working in Hallyu formed on stage, hosted by presenter Shai. The first forum consisted of Buzzfeed UK Video Producer - who has worked with many idols on Buzzfeed - Sepi Zolfaghari, KTO Marketing Manager Ruby James, Puresoul Lead Product Specialist Alethea Demetriou, BBC Senior Journalist Julie Lee, and TV Producer and Director Dong-Gil Seo.
This first panel "The Global Impact of Hallyu, Korean Media and Culture" looked at how the perception of South Korea had evolved from a millitant and tech-savvy image to be more focused on actual Korean culture and media, with the country expecting 20m tourists in 2024. Discussions on the globalisation of Korean culture, media and beauty also took place, attributing some part to the rise of social media and streaming culture, making the culture more accessible to the rest of the world, and breaking cultural barriers and how we consume art and media from a "foreign" country. The panel also gave some advice to any audience members perhaps looking to work in Hallyu, with general advice such as "don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone" to more industry-specific, such as "learn the Korean language [and colloquialisms]" if you wanted to work in the TV industry.
The next panel was comprised of Dance Director and Instructor Yeon-Soo Do, also known as Coco from girl group ATTI, Co-Founder of London’s First K-Pop Cover Dance Group Tammy Jane, and Model and Beauty Creator Anjola Ajao, also known as Anjie.
This segment "The Evolution of Hallyu Trends in the UK" spoke on the globalisation of K-Pop, and how the UK came to love the genre of music. They also spoke of their love for K-Hip Hop, and how it is a beautiful blend of two very rich cultures, and forms something phenomenal when done correctly. A discussion of dance and dance covers also occurred, stating how dance is a universal language understood by all, and how the K-Pop dance cover community was formed and fostered. The panel then called for the need for more cultural education in Korean media, to prevent any potential disrespect if it wishes to reach and appeal to a global audience.
With that the panel was over, and the stage once again turned to music. The first performer was singer-songwriter Sungjoon, serenading the audience with his emotional and powerful vocals with his original song "You", his own rearranged versions of "Creep" by Radiohead and "Beautiful" by Crush, as well as a sneak performance of his upcoming original song.
The atmosphere then rapidly changed to a much brighter tone, as solo artist Heyne took to the stage with her cute and bubbly vocals, performing a series of some of her own songs such as "My Heart", "Tasty Tasty Tasty", "Insomnia" and more. This was followed by a Q&A session, where the audience found out her favourite song was "True Colours" by Cindy Lauper, even singing a section as a treat for the audience. She mentioned how she equated singing/songwriting to writing in her diary, clearing her own emotional confusion. The segment was concluded with her recommendation to visit her hometown Jeju to people wanting to visit Korea.
The day finally drew to a close, ending the event with a random play dance for fans to jump into.
With that, Hallyu Con 2024 was concluded. After a day of fun and food, the event was a stellar reflection of the growth and impact of Korean culture in the UK. We thank co-founders Shai and Nilza for organising such a fruitful day, and for the invitation. For now, we can only wait for the next event which will no doubt be better than ever.
Until then, be sure to follow KpopWise for more updates and events.
[Photos by Kirsten]