On Sep. 17, the Korean Cultural Center D.C. (KCCDC) hosted a festival: All About That Hallyu Com-On 2022, the center’s annual one-day celebration of all things Korean pop culture. They featured guest performances, activities, fan community meetups, workshops, and presentations. 

All About That Hallyu Com-on 2022 is supported by the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) and is hosted in collaboration with Hallyu communities in the Washington, D.C. region.

According to their mission statement, this special annual event aims to “unite and grow Korean pop culture fan communities” across the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region, fostering crossover interest among diverse creative genres including music, dance, fashion, art, webtoons, dramas, and more. 

Special guest Justin Park headlined the event with a main stage performance. Described by Billboard Korea as a promising Korean American R&B artist, Park has collected fans around the world for his single “On the Low,” which was praised by BTS member Jungkook in 2021. Park was also invited as a special guest at LA’s K-Con in 2018 and 2021, and has been active in the music industry, including producing music videos with Amber, a member of the K-Pop group f(x). At the event, Park performed various songs from his two albums, including Dates in LA, Shady, and ended off with his hit song On the Low.

Other programs were held on the outdoor mainstage and indoors throughout the afternoon, kicking off with a performance by K-pop dance group Mythic, followed by a dance workshop with K-pop dance YouTuber Ky. Later in the afternoon, Youtuber Ky hosted a K-Pop random dance play and a K-Talent showcase. Visitors experienced Korean culture through arts and craft booths, learning traditional pattern knots as well as mini folding screens. On the side, popular and traditional Korean snacks were provided for attendees, who were also able to talk and mingle with fellow K-Pop fans from the area. Indoors, an introduction to wildly popular K-webtoons (online narrative comics) were given by Sara Layne, a regular special guest at KCON and who co-presented the very first K-Drama panel at the Austin-based cultural festival SXSW this year. 

Senior Eileen Yang was especially excited to be able to participate in the festivities, and said “I felt welcomed by this new community, and loved learning more about the culture.”

 The term “Hallyu” is the Korean term for the global phenomenon of Korean pop culture, also known as the Korean Wave. Hallyu encompasses Korean pop music (K-Pop), films, stage performances, fashion, webtoons, animation, pop art, Korean celebrities and athletes, K-dramas, and even beauty products, software development, game design, creative cuisine, and the latest, coolest tech. K-Pop is a major part of Hallyu, but this massive trend is bigger than any one industry or creative genre, and according to the KCCDC, All About That Hallyu Com-on is designed to showcase this “wider world of culture and energy.”