Korea eyes Coachella-style festival expansion

South Korea’s largest K-pop agencies are in talks to join forces for an international-level music festival that could bring together the industry’s biggest stars, in an event some local media have described as a Korean version of the American mega-festival Coachella, Reuters reported.

HYBE, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment said in a statement that they are preparing to establish a joint venture to develop the event “Fanomenon,” a large-scale festival aimed at showcasing Korean pop culture to an international audience, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The discussions also involve a government committee for cultural exchange, as the companies explore new ways to expand K-pop’s global footprint through industry-wide cooperation rather than individual company projects.

The “Fanomenon” project (a blend of the words “fan” and “phenomenon”) was unveiled last year by Park Jin-young, founder of JYP and co-chair of the committee.

At its launch in October, Park said the goal is to create a recurring mega-festival that would begin in South Korea and eventually expand to cities worldwide, aiming to rival major international music festivals.

According to his vision, the festival could debut as early as 2027 in South Korea, followed by international editions starting in 2028, featuring a wide range of artists including K-pop and other elements of Korean popular culture.

The talks come as part of a broader initiative by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to promote the K-pop industry. He has appointed Park to lead these efforts and pledged strong government support without interfering in artistic decisions.

However, the companies emphasized that discussions are still at an early stage, and concrete business plans, timelines, and operational structures have not yet been finalized.

Decisions will be made cautiously as talks continue, taking into account market conditions and feedback from across the industry.