Because KCON 2017 LA isn’t already going to be awesome enough, the world’s largest Korean culture convention and music festival, presented by Toyota, recently announced that Kim Tae Woo, Sam Okyere and Kevin Woo would all be making special guest appearances over the course of the three-day event, which takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center next week!
For those of you who might not know why I’m freaking out about this, allow me to explain…
Kim Tae Woo is a first generation idol who debuted as the lead singer for g.o.d. in 1999. The group became one of the most popular groups in the 2000s and is often referred to as “the Nation’s idol” and “Legends of K-Pop,” along with other first generation idols. They were also one of the few groups to have an album become a “million seller” in K-pop. In October 2006, Kim Tae Woo released his first solo album Solo Special, which sold over 100,000 copies in one month. In September 2009, he released mini-album T-Virus which also achieved over 100,000 sales. In the same year, he won “Best Ballad/R&B Performance” award with title song “Love Rain” from T-Virus at the 11th Mnet Asian Music Awards. In July 2014, he re-grouped with other members of g.o.d and made a comeback with album, Chapter 8. He has been actively promoting his 6th studio album, T-WITH since its release in July, 2017. In short, this man in a living legend!
Sam Okyere is a Ghanaian TV personality who rose to fame with the variety show, Abnormal Summit, as the Ghana representative after initially moving to Korea as a student. International Hallyu fans may also know him from many other television programs including, Law of The Jungle, Real Men, and Moorim School. He is also active in the local community as the ambassador of Yongsan.
Kevin Woo is a Korean-American singer, actor, and television host currently based in South Korea. He debuted as a member of K-POP boy band U-KISS in 2008 and was the main vocalist in the group. Their breakthrough hit was “Man Man Ha Ni” released in 2009. U-KISS is known for their international popularity, where they have held various tours worldwide including Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. They made their official Japanese debut in 2011 and held numerous sold-out concert tours in Japan and topped the Oricon chart with multiple hits. Kevin is currently a host of popular music talk show After School Club on Arirang TV. After School Club is a live interactive talk show featuring musical guests of South Korea and is directed at an international audience. It allows fans of K-Pop music to interact directly with their favorite stars on the live show through social media. Kevin Woo was raised in Danville, California where he lived with his parents and elder sister. He is currently preparing for his solo career.
For those of you wondering where you might find these three incredible individuals next weekend I can give you a few hints. Kevin Woo will serve at the host of the conventions artist engagement sessions, among other activities. Sam Okyere will be participating in a panel and will have fan meet and greet. While Kim Tae Woo will be making special appearances at the convention and is also scheduled to perform. I wish I could give you more than that but sadly, that’s all I’ve got. I guess that just means you’ll have to keep your eyes and ears open while you’re there. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and have one (or two or three) of these guys randomly walk right in front of you! I mean, it happened to me in New York! I guess that just goes to show you anything’s possible when you’re at KCON!
If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to join in on this year’s festivities, you still have time to make your decision but not much! The expansive event, which spans three days, takes place within the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the surrounding entertainment district on August 18-20. In addition to star-studded concerts, which this year includes 12 of the top acts from South Korea, fans in attendance will experience more panels and workshops than ever before. Topics will cover everything from K-beauty and K-food to e-sports and K-drama. Believe me when I tell you, it’s going to be one amazingly incredible, unforgettable weekend and one you’re not going to want to miss!
For the latest KCON news and tickets, you’re invited (as always) to visit www.kconusa.com and follow @KCONUSA on Twitter, where you can join in all the fun with #KCON17LA. Of course you can always come back here for all the latest news or just to vent all the excitement I know is building as the days to KCON 2017 LA draw ever closer.