K-Era Fest Brings the Korean Wave to Seattle, Headlined by Taemin in the Pacific Northwest
Seattle, Washington — K-Era Fest, the Pacific Northwest's first large-scale Korean culture festival, was held on October 24 and 25 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, offering local audiences a two-day experience of Korean pop culture. Organized by OCAAT, the event spanned K-pop, K-food, K-beauty, fashion, business and immersive experiences, aiming to bring the Korean Wave — already a force in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York — to the Pacific Northwest with a distinctly local flavor. On the music side, Taemin, the globally known K-pop artist and member of SHINee who has performed at Coachella, sang at Climate Pledge Arena. On the food side, well-known food and lifestyle curator Noh Hee-young of Bibigo and Olive Young, and chef Austin Kang, who appeared in Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars," were among the culinary names on site, which featured a Hangang ramen stand, a soju garden and a K-food zone. Co-founder Sabrina Kim said Korean culture has reached a stage where people can connect with it without being Korean or even long-time fans — and that is exactly why bringing this momentum to the Pacific Northwest matters. The staging of K-Era Fest also shows that the influence of Korean culture in the U.S. mainstream market continues to grow.
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: SHINee成员泰民在演唱会上献唱（资料图）。Taemin of SHINee performing in concert (file photo). Photo: WithTaemin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
