팬들이 2023년 10월 6일 사우디아라비아 리야드 시티에서 열린 케이콘 사우디아라비아 2023에서 K-팝 공연을 즐기고 있다. CJ ENM

[코리아헤럴드=김재헌 기자] CJ ENM이 주최하는 세계적인 K-팝 축제 KCON이(이하 케이콘) 올해 사우디아라비아에서 열리지 않을 것으로 보인다.

올해 초 CJ ENM은 홍콩, 일본, 로스앤젤레스, 유럽, 사우디아라비아 등 다섯 곳에서 2024년 케이콘 일정을 발표했지만, 사우디아라비아 일정은 아직 확정되지 않았다. 최근 소식통에 따르면, 현지 내부 갈등으로 인해 케이콘 사우디아라비아가 취소되었다고 전해졌다.

CJ ENM은 여전히 사우디아라비아 측과 논의 중이며, 올해 개최 여부는 확정되지 않았다고 밝혔다. 사우디 관광청은 소셜 미디어에서 업데이트를 확인하라고 했지만, 올해 케이콘에 대한 소식은 없다.

중동의 다른 K-팝 소식통에 따르면, 작년 케이콘 사우디아라비아는 부진한 라인업으로 팬들을 실망시켰고, 이로 인해 티켓 판매가 저조했다. 올해도 비슷한 이유로 행사가 취소된 것으로 보인다.

작년과 재작년 10월에 열렸던 케이콘 사우디아라비아는 올해도 비슷한 시기에 열릴 것으로 예상되었으나, 현재까지 라인업이 발표되지 않은 점을 고려하면, 올해 개최는 어려울 것으로 보인다.

〈원문〉

[Exclusive] KCON Saudi Arabia canceled this year: source

KCON, the globally renowned K-pop music festival organized by CJ ENM, will not be held in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an industry insider.

Earlier this year, CJ ENM announced its 2024 KCON schedule that included events in five locations: Hong Kong, Japan, Los Angeles, Europe and Saudi Arabia. While specific dates were released for the first three locations, the dates for Europe and Saudi Arabia were left unspecified.

In June, CJ ENM announced that the European KCON would take place in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sept. 28 and 29. However, the date for the event in Saudi Arabia has yet to be disclosed.

"As far as I know, KCON Saudi Arabia has been canceled due to internal conflicts," a source with knowledge of K-pop concerts in the Middle East told The Korea Herald on July 9. The source did not provide further details on the nature of the conflicts.

CJ ENM maintains that Saudi Arabia KCON is still in the works, but could not confirm it would take place this year.

"We are still in discussions with our counterparts in Saudi Arabia and cannot confirm whether it will be held this year," a CJ ENM official said Tuesday.

The Saudi Tourism Authority directed inquiries to its social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, for updates on upcoming events. However, there is no update on this year’s KCON festival on these platforms.

Another K-pop event promoter in the Middle East attributed the potential cancellation to the lackluster lineup for the 2023 KCON concert in Saudi Arabia, which largely disappointed local fans.

"The K-pop artists last year lacked significant name recognition. K-pop agencies don't seem very interested in the Middle Eastern market, so they don't send their top bands. Consequently, ticket sales were low," said the promoter who wished to remain anonymous. "The Saudi Tourism Authority is aware of these issues and is reconsidering the event."

Unlike the star-studded 2022 lineup that featured big names such as Ateez, NewJeans, Sunmi and Rain, the 2023 KCON Saudi Arabia's roster included lesser-known or past-their-prime acts like Everglow, Highlight and Super Junior.

"For a K-pop concert to sell tickets in the Middle East, you need to bring in established bands like BTS, Stray Kids, Seventeen, Ateez or Enhypen. However, the biggest name on the 2023 KCON Saudi Arabia lineup was Super Junior, who were more popular four years ago," the promoter added.

Given that KCON in Saudi Arabia was held in September and October in 2022 and 2023, respectively, a similar time frame was expected this year. The promoter noted that if the event were to be held in either of those months mentioned above, the lineup should have been announced by now.

Kim Jae-heun (jaaykim@heraldcorp.com)