KCON will upgrade its interactive experience zone for its upcoming edition in Japan, organizer CJ ENM said on Wednesday.

This year’s event will newly introduce the K-story zone, in addition to the already existing K-food and K-beauty zones from previous years to highlight this year's theme of "Walk in SOUL CITY."


The event will also offer an extended one-hour M Countdown main concert stage, according to CJ ENM. The organizers announced two special performers for this year’s event, Japanese singer Takanori Iwata, also known as GAN, and recently-formed K-pop duo Chuei Li Yu & Kang Woo Jin, the singers of which are known for their appearances on Mnet's television survival audition show "Boys II Planet" (2025).

Six teams will perform at X STAGE, a dedicated live performance segment for rising rookies to showcase their talent. This year will have: AxMxP, Baby DONT Cry, Choi Yu-ree, Keyveatz, Keyvitup and Rescene.

This year’s KCON Japan will be held in Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, from May 8 to 10.

Following the Japanese run, KCON LA 2026 will be held in the LA Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles from Aug. 14 to 16. All information can be found on KCON’s official social media, website and Mnet Plus, an online K-pop platform.

KCON was held in 14 cities since its first event in Irvine, California, in 2012. The event has accumulated over 2.2 million visitors.

BY LEE JI-WON [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]