[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] Details have emerged regarding “FANOMENON,” a K-culture festival centered on K-pop being promoted by the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange (the Committee). The Committee’s blueprint calls for creating an awards ceremony on par with the U.S. “Grammy Awards” and world-class performances similar to the “Coachella Festival.” While the industry anticipates the birth of a mega-event befitting Korea’s status as the home of K-pop, concerns have also been raised regarding the awards ceremony’s prestige, as well as the festival’s identity and diversity.

◇Four Major Agencies Join Forces… Anticipation for the Birth of a Mega Event
“Phenomenon” is a private-sector-led event that combines K-pop concerts, fandom award ceremonies, and exhibition and hands-on programs by K-culture companies. It aims to foster the global co-growth of K-culture and to increase the number of tourists visiting Korea while encouraging repeat visits. The event’s name is a neologism combining “Fan” and “Phenomenon,” signifying “a phenomenon created by fans.” It reflects the vision of viewing K-pop fans as both the driving force and partners in the spread of K-culture.
The Popular Culture Committee, co-chaired by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young and JYP Entertainment CEO and Chief Producer Park Jin-young, held a press conference on the 27th of last month to announce the implementation plan for “Phenomenon.” According to the plan, the inaugural event will take place from December 2 to 12 next year at Seoul Arena in Dobong-gu, Seoul, and Hall 2 of KINTEX in Ilsan.
At Seoul Arena—a 20,000-seat venue scheduled for completion next May—concerts featuring numerous K-pop artists will be held over two weeks, spanning a total of six days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). A fandom-based awards ceremony will also be held during the concerts. The event will select the top 10 fandoms that demonstrated the greatest passion and influence over the past year and present awards to the artists supported by those fandoms. During the festival, Hall 2 of KINTEX will host a music festival featuring artists from various genres, as well as various K-culture exhibitions and hands-on experiences.

“Phenomenon” will be organized and operated by the private sector, with support from the government. Planning, operation, production, and promotion of the event will be handled by a joint venture currently being established by South Korea’s four major music agencies: HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment. The Korea Popular Culture Committee will serve as a platform to revitalize inbound tourism and promote collaboration across various sectors of K-culture. The government projects that hosting “Phenomenon” will attract approximately 520,000 visitors. Of these, the target number of foreign visitors is about 200,000. The economic impact is estimated at approximately 1 trillion won.
The fact that the four major Korean music agencies are pursuing this joint project is symbolic. Until now, K-pop has grown through a model in which each agency independently cultivated its artists, fanbase, platforms, and concert brands. “Phenomenon” is significant as an attempt to create a new growth model by combining the content capabilities of the four major agencies with the government’s tourism and administrative support. The Public Committee announced plans to sell concert tickets and secure sponsorships to make “Phenomenon” a profitable event.
Yoon Dong-hwan, CEO of MY Music and a member of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee directly under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said in a phone interview with Edaily on the 4th, "If a mega-event featuring top-tier K-pop artists such as BTS, SEVENTEEN, and aespa becomes a reality, it has ample potential to grow into an event with an impact rivaling the Olympics, capturing the attention of people worldwide," he said, adding, "The success of the event depends on the participation of big-name artists and smooth cooperation among the four major agencies."

◇“It Must Be a Project That Encompasses the Entire K-pop Industry”
However, questions have been raised regarding the decision to hold the large-scale festival—the project’s core content—overseas. The Popular Culture Committee announced plans to host the “Phenomenon Festival” in various locations around the world, starting in Los Angeles (LA), USA, in May 2028. Critics point out that this somewhat contradicts the primary objective of “Phenomenon,” which is to increase the number of tourists visiting South Korea.
Establishing the awards ceremony’s prestige is also a challenge. Co-Chairman Park Jin-young stated that he aims to develop “Phenomenon” into an awards ceremony with global prestige, similar to the “Grammys.” However, the “Grammys” achieved its current status through an expert-driven judging system based on votes from members of the Recording Academy—composed of musicians—as well as its long history and the trust of the industry.
In contrast, the “Phenomenon” Awards are focused on highlighting the passion and influence of fan communities rather than musical achievements. No specific criteria have been disclosed regarding how fan activities will be evaluated and quantified. Critics point out that a system where the size and cohesion of fan communities determine the results will make it difficult to differentiate the event from the fan-voting categories of existing K-pop award shows.
Ensuring diversity is also cited as a key challenge. There are concerns that if concerts and large-scale festivals held overseas are composed primarily of artists from the “Big Four” agencies, the events could be perceived not as gatherings for the entire industry but as events that further exacerbate the concentration of power in the hands of major agencies. In particular, many believe that the concert at Seoul Arena—which is linked to the fandom awards ceremony—is highly likely to be centered on idol artists.
Pop music critic Jeong Min-jae stated, “The core of what has built ‘Coachella’s’ authority and symbolic significance lies not in its massive stage but in its broad genre spectrum,” adding “It must be a program that encompasses not only idols from major agencies—who already receive ample opportunities and attention—but also musicians across various genres, small and medium-sized agencies, and independent singer-songwriters. Only then can it become an event with the persuasiveness and public value befitting the name ‘Korean Coachella,’” he said.
Experts agree that for “Phenomenon” to steadily establish itself on a path to success, it needs an operational model that resonates with the entire industry.
Professor Shim Hee-cheol of the Department of Entertainment Management at Dong-A University of Broadcasting and Arts suggested, “Since ‘Phenomenon’ is being promoted as a national-level project, it is crucial to strike a balance between effectively pooling private-sector capabilities and ensuring public interest.” He added, “A phased roadmap must be established to build trust, so that the event can evolve into a sustainable one where artists and agencies want to participate voluntarily, rather than out of a sense of obligation.”