The five-day event will combine entertainment, food, beauty and business meetings, reflecting the expanding scope of Korean cultural exports in North America.
The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) is organising 2026 K-EXPO USA in Los Angeles from May 23 to 27, alongside the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea. Scheduled for L.A. LIVE, the event will bring together Korean food, beauty, lifestyle products, dramas, games and webtoons in a single public-facing festival. Organisers expect more than 40,000 visitors and the participation of 107 Korean companies, positioning the expo as a broad showcase for the country’s creative and consumer industries.
The announcement places K-content beyond a narrowly music-led format. The expo is designed to present a range of Korean cultural experiences, including food, beauty and lifestyle alongside screen entertainment, gaming and webtoons. That combination gives the event both a cultural and commercial dimension, with visitors encountering products and content in a setting organised around direct participation rather than a single form of entertainment.
A major K-pop concert is scheduled for May 24 at Peacock Theater, featuring Jay Park, P1Harmony and rookie act LNGSHOT. The programme will also include a Taekwondo demonstration team and a special appearance by the K-POP Cover Dance Festival USA Champion. Elsewhere, Netflix will present exclusive behind-the-scenes material from Korean productions, while Nongshim will operate a Han River Ramyun tasting zone.
The event will also include a football-focused activation tied to Los Angeles’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Korea Football Association and Coupang Play are scheduled to create a Korean national-team locker-room-themed booth, with life-size displays and official jerseys featuring Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae. From May 26, a business-to-business programme at JW Marriott Los Angeles will arrange one-to-one meetings between Korean companies and more than 150 buyers from North and Latin America.
KOCCA Acting President Yoo Hyun-seok described the expo as an effort to show the full range of Korean lifestyle culture while generating export and business opportunities for participating companies. The structure of the programme reflects that dual purpose: public events are paired with brand experiences, entertainment showcases and a buyer-focused business programme. With the festival scheduled to run across five days, 2026 K-EXPO USA presents Korean culture in Los Angeles as both an audience experience and a platform for commercial exchange.
