Under the Queen's Umbrella

- 120,000 Attendees, 33 Acts and 300 Booths Brought Expanded K-Culture, K-Lifestyle Experiences to Life

- Global Livestream on Mnet Plus, YouTube Reached Fans Worldwide

Tokyo, Japan - May 11, 2026 -  KCON JAPAN 2026 wrapped up, drawing 120,000 attendees with a lineup of 33 acts across three days at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, reaffirming its position as the world’s largest K-Festival to celebrate everything Korean – from music and beauty to food, story, and lifestyle.  

Presented by Samsung Galaxy as the title sponsor for three consecutive years, KCON JAPAN 2026 featured a star-studded lineup spanning from rookies to veteran K-pop artists and acclaimed actors. Over the three days, fans around the world also joined via livestreamed on global K-POP content platform Mnet Plus and YouTube.

Under this year’s theme “Walk in SOUL CITY,” fans who love Korean culture – KLOVERs (K-Lovers) – were invited to explore a vibrant city filled with K-SOUL, where every corner offers new discoveries of K-Lifestyle and the chance to create a personal “SOUL MAP.”

“This year KCON’s K stood for Korean in every form – K-POP, K-Beauty, K-Story and beyond,” said Harry H.K. Shin, head of CJ ENM’s Music Entertainment. "KCON JAPAN 2026 reaffirmed it as a cornerstone of global K-culture and as a platform where fans can experience Korean culture and discover what speaks to them. KCON is committed to providing new global opportunities for artists and supporting Korean business.”

ONLY AT KCON: STAGES CO-CREATED BY FANS AND ARTISTS

KCON JAPAN 2026 delivered the kind of artist performances that fans can only experience here. M COUNTDOWN STAGE lit up each night, opened by SUNG HAN BIN of ZEROBASEONE as the first-ever KCON GLOBAL AMBASSADOR and expanded this year with bigger daily headliner sets. Highlights included collaboration stages that brought together artists from different groups, plus K-pop cover sets spanning generations  — f(x)'s "Electric Shock," TWICE's "THIS IS FOR," and WANNA ONE's "Beautiful" — alongside KCON signature DREAM STAGE where fans get to have a chance to dance together with their favorite artists.

Beyond M COUNTDOWN STAGE, SHOWCASE on X STAGE introduced 15 rising artists across diverse genres, while the DANCE STAGE drew strong crowds with point choreography taught directly by the artists, cover dance challenges, and random play dance sessions. ARTIST STAGE, where fans could enjoy dedicated sets from their favorite artists, expanded to roughly 7,800 seats this year to welcome even more fans.

FESTIVAL GROUNDS – K IN EVERY WAY

Across all three days, FESTIVAL GROUNDS came alive with 300 booths offering hands-on activities and immersive experiences. Title sponsor Samsung Galaxy delivered a one-of-a-kind experience that paired product try-outs with KCON's signature content, joined by 15 additional sponsors including OLIVE YOUNG, bibigo, TVING, Visa, KDDI, Travel Wallet, Samyang, aT, isaac toast, the Seoul Tourism Organization, Nongshim, TEAZEN, the Korea Paralympic Committee, and  the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange. Additionally, the special K-COLLECTION with KCON JAPAN 2026 — held in partnership with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, alongside the Large and Small Business, Agriculture and Fisheries Cooperation Foundation — showcased 50 innovative Korean small businesses looking to tap into global markets, up from 40 last year. 

OLIVE YOUNG, South Korea's leading beauty and wellness retailer, made KCON JAPAN 2026 the opening stop of its first-ever OLIVE YOUNG FESTA world tour, with interactive events tied to the OLIVE YOUNG Global App and on-site tips from beauty specialists. A new K-STORY ZONE spotlighted Korean dramas and films through SCREENX THEATER powered by CJ 4DPLEX's three-sided panoramic screen technology and K-CINEMA SHOWCASE on AI in filmmaking. The K-FOOD ZONE recreated the energy of Korea's nighttime streets and food alleys, with tasting corners for Korean street foods and K-desserts that have been generating buzz in Japan.

Since its launch in 2012, KCON has pioneered an integrated K-culture convention platform that seamlessly blends K-pop performances with hands-on Korean cultural and lifestyle content. The festival's next stop is KCON LA 2026, taking place at Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center from August 14 to 16.

- Top Leadership of CJ ENM, TBS, and U-NEXT Convene on April 30 for the Official Signing Ceremony

- Integrating Korea-Japan IP, Production, and Platforms into a Global Content Hub

- Applying K-Content Production Systems for Glocalization and Global Premium IP Leadership

- Hybrid Production: Real Actors Meets AI-Realized Backgrounds for Next-Gen Filmmaking

- Elevating Quality with Google AI: Leveraging ‘Imagen,’ ‘Nano Banana,’ and ‘Veo’

- Scaling AI Ecosystem: Connecting Creators and Tech via ‘AI Content Alliance’

CJ ENM is introducing a new approach to AI content production with its latest feature film, which utilizes a hybrid filmmaking method across all scenes to combine live-action performances with AI technology.

CJ ENM announced on April 30 that it hosted the ‘CJ ENM Culture TALK’ event at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul, under the theme “Synergy of Innovation: Cinema Created with AI, <The House>.”

During the event, the AI-hybrid feature film <The House> was premiered for the first time. Following the screening, a panel talk was held featuring key participants, including Baek Hyun-jung, Head of Content Innovation at CJ ENM; Jeong Chang-ik, Head of AI Studio at CJ ENM; Ahn Sung-min, Director of Customer Engineering at Google Cloud Korea; actor Kim Shin-yong; and Han Sung-keun, CEO of THEHAN FILM. The panel shared insights into the production process and the technical behind-the-scenes of the film.

<The House> is a K-occult thriller AI film that follows the story of Yumi, a protagonist who can see the souls of the deceased. The film depicts the eerie and chilling events she encounters after moving into a new apartment.

The most significant feature of this film is that the actors’ performances were filmed entirely indoors without the need for location changes, with all backgrounds and visual effects (VFX) later realized through AI. As AI was applied to every scene—excluding only the live-action performances—a wide range of cutting-edge technologies were integrated into the production.

In particular, high-quality results were achieved by integrating Google’s AI solutions—such as ‘Imagen’ (image generation), ‘Nano Banana 2’ (image editing and optimization), and ‘Veo’ (video generation)—directly into the content production pipeline.

Ahn Sung-min, Director of Customer Engineering at Google Cloud Korea, stated, “Beyond merely providing technology, we are working in close collaboration to ensure that the creator’s intent is accurately reflected in the AI models.” He added, “By applying the ‘Detect and Foundation’ method—which precisely analyzes various elements across the entire video, including backgrounds, objects, lighting, and composition, and consistently generates AI outputs based on this analysis—we supported the realization of high-quality visual effects and natural expressions.”

The collaboration for <The House> was previously showcased at the ‘Google for Korea’ event held on April 29, garnering significant attention as a prime example of effective AI integration within the industry. Following this project, CJ ENM plans to further strengthen its partnership with Google, actively implementing AI technology throughout the entire content production process and continuing to advance its AI solutions.

Jeong Chang-ik, Head of AI Studio at CJ ENM and lead producer of the film, stated, “We have expanded the production paradigm by filming actors’ performances in a green screen environment and realizing all backgrounds and visual effects through AI.” He added, “By adopting a new approach where every scene was filmed indoors without location changes, we significantly improved efficiency and provided both the cast and crew with a creative experience that sets a new bar from traditional methods.”

Actor Kim Shin-yong, who played the role of the security guard, shared his experience, saying, “Unlike typical chroma key filming, I was able to see the AI backgrounds and effects in real-time while acting, which significantly enhanced my immersion.” He added, “It was also truly remarkable that we were able to complete the entire filming process in just four days within an indoor studio.”

Production studios ' THEHAN FILM' and 'SOLTMAKERS'—both members of the 'AI Content Alliance,' an industry-academic cooperation body launched last February—also co-participated in this project, further elevating the film's technical quality. The project is being highly regarded for effectively demonstrating a collaborative model between AI production companies and AI technology providers, marking a significant step toward expanding the industry ecosystem.

Baek Hyun-jung, Head of Content Innovation at CJ ENM, explained, “In the rapidly evolving global market, we are committed to fostering a field-oriented ecosystem based on public-private-academic cooperation to secure K-AI competitiveness.” She added, “The <The House> project is a key part of these efforts, serving as a case that innovatively validates the integration of content and AI technology.”

She further emphasized, “For such attempts to lead to tangible results, establishing the institutional and environmental foundations to expand various real-world demonstrations across the industry is becoming increasingly vital.”

The AI-hybrid film <The House>, unveiled today, is scheduled for release on May 1 via TVING, Korea’s leading streaming service.

Meanwhile, CJ ENM previously demonstrated its AI content production capabilities last year with the release of <Cat Biggie>, the world’s first AI animation series. The 30-episode series, released via YouTube, has garnered significant global traction and is nearing a cumulative 22 million views.