KCON fans pack L.A. Convention Center for K-pop, K-dramas and community

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Set us as preferred America’s grasp on Korean culture goes beyond the music and viral dance moves.The beauty products and the K-dramas, on top of the music — all of it has become a ubiquitous part of life in the United States, and that was evident on the opening day of KCON, the world’s largest annual convention and music festival that celebrates everything Korean.Fans traveling from as far away as Hawaii flooded the South Hall of the L.A.

Convention Center on Friday for the first day of the three-day event.Once inside, they were able to enjoy musical performances on two different stages, wait in endless lines to get their hands on free products from a number of Korean beauty brands and explore other aspects of Korean culture.More important, they got to share an experience with their community.

Here are some of the highlights from the first day of KCON.Within the conference, the biggest area belonged to Olive Young Festa market, which was filled with beauty brands trying to get their name in front of people.Each booth created an opportunity to leave the convention with free products.

Attendees could be seen walking around with big tote bags filled with freebies.From creating a story where each person was an intern working for Abib, a Korean skin care brand, to pinning people in a race of stacking blocks for a chance to go home with a Manyo skin product, earning free items was fun and games.Even if they lost, patrons would still leave with samples.

It was a win-win situation.The amount of product did feel a bit overwhelming.What product works best for a person’s skin? What should you avoid? No need to worry: KCON had an answer.

People were able to receive a skin analysis that would help them decide which direction to take.With a quick scan of the skin on the nose and cheeks, the scan would tell attendees how oily or dry their skin was, how sensitive it was, and would make recommendations on how to t...