LeftField Media, a consumer and enthusiast division of Clarion Events, has announced the creation of KPEX: Korean Pop Culture Expo. The new three-day event is designed as a celebration of Korean entertainment and culture in America’s biggest city. Organisers say it will come with special guests and events for fans of K-Pop, K-Dramas, K-Comics, K-Games, K-Food, and K-Beauty.
Led by event industry veterans Greg Topalian (co-creator of New York Comic Con), Robert Khoo (co-creator of PAX), and Peter Tatara (co-creator of Anime NYC), and built by LeftField Media (the makers of Anime NYC, Anime Frontier, Awesome Con, and Rose City Comic Con), the KPEX team is now turning their experience on the burgeoning world of K-Content and K-Culture.
Spread across Memorial Day Weekend 2027 (29-31 May), KPEX will provide fans an opportunity to meet their favourite Korean stars and see, hear, taste, and touch what’s next in Korean entertainment. There will be panel discussions, premiere screenings, interactive workshops, autograph sessions, and an expo floor filled with shopping experiences. Each night will be anchored by a showstopping concert spotlighting artists coming from Seoul to New York City.
KPEX will launch with partners and participants including the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), a governmental agency focusing on expanding K-Content worldwide, and Ize Press, the US publisher of fan-favorite Korean comics and novels.
Tickets to the convention go on sale on 18 September and KPEX will announce special guests and show features in the coming months.
“From Oscar wins and K-Pop stars performing during the World Cup, to record-breaking streaming success, Korean entertainment has become a beloved fixture in American pop culture with over 25 million fans all across the country,” said Peter Tatara, co-founder of KPEX. “We hope we can now give its fans, creators, and the companies at the heart of K-Culture a place to call home in the centre of New York City.”
“KPEX hopes to create a space for fans to deepen their relationship with Korean culture, lifestyle, entertainment and artists,” said Robert Khoo, co-founder of KPEX. “We want to uplift the community by giving it a home in NYC, build a destination which elevates the fandom all across the United States.”
KPEX is announced by LeftField Media just one week after the 2026 installment of its Anime NYC Japanese pop culture convention. Its largest year yet, Anime NYC played host to 172,000 fans from around the USA, world premieres, and appearances by some of the biggest stars and companies in Japanese pop culture, all brought together in the Javits Center – the same venue as next year’s KPEX.
“KPEX looks to follow the same success as Anime NYC, which LeftField founded nine years ago, and we’re working with many of the same partners and team who brought Anime NYC to life,” said Kelly Comboni, CEO of LeftField Media and Clarion Connect.
Photo credit Anime NYC/LeftField Media and Aoki Studios.
