Photos: Inside KCON NY, The Convention Celebrating K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Everything

"When I’m told I’m too old to like this, I say, 'I'm too old to care,'" declared one woman to dozens of others at the Jacobs Javits Convention Center, which last weekend looked like a K-pop wonderland.

I was at KCON New York, the 5th annual East Coast celebration of Korean culture, attending a panel called "Hallyu Fans over 30," where around 80 people, mostly women, were discussing their love of K-pop—and K-dramas—in a "safe space," because many fans seem to be teenagers. One of the moderators reminded everyone, "We are a variety of ages... We can all love the same thing and it's okay."

"I work for the Department of Sanitation, and it's all guys in my garage," Thelma Lynch, 47, said. "Their daughters are into K-pop, and I tell the guys they should come to me so I can tell them which music to listen to." She proudly declared, "I'm like the Godmother of K-pop in the Department of Sanitation!"

In the past few months, the Korean group BTS completely invaded mainstream American consciousness, with a Billboard Top 10 hit (their second) and three consecutive number 1 albums; an appearance on Saturday Night Live; the first-ever appearance of a K-pop band on the Grammys; and a concert in Central Park before a Good Morning America appearance in the midst of their world tour (for that last one, fans camped out around the park for days).

While BTS is the biggest of the bands now (and I'm a newcomer to their ARMY), it's only one of the many K-pop groups that have legions of fans. KCON, which drew 55,000 people over Saturday and Sunday, featured bands like Ateez, AB6IX, ATEEZ, AB6IX, Everglow, fromis_9, IZ*ONE, (G)I-DLE, NU’EST, Seventeen, The Boyz, SF9, TXT and VeriVery, who were getting their moment in the spotlight... and maybe do a little sight-seeing in NYC:

Though screaming Asian teenage girls appear to be the main K-pop demographic, attendees at the Javits Center was pretty diverse, with non-Asians outnumbering Asians (according to KCON's stats, the attendees are 42% Asian, 22% Caucasian, 19% Hispanic, 7% African-American, and 10% Other).

Jason Waldron, a 24-year-old from New Jersey, was standing outside the KCON Studio, where (G)I-DLE was making an appearance. He's been a K-pop fan for about eight months and was wearing a KCON jersey. "I play [the multiplayer online game] League of Legends, and (G)I-DLE had a collab," he explained, from then on he was hooked on their music.

That collaboration involved two (G)I-DLE members, Soyeon and Miyeon, joining a "virtual pop quartet" with Madison Beer and Jaira Burns. Their song hit number one for global digital sales, offering a cross-genre boon for K-pop and video games, and showing some of the economic muscle K-pop wields.

The current K-pop phenomenon is reportedly helping drive billions to the Korean economy, with fans developing an interest in all things Korean. Dozens of brands showed off their wares at KCON, from K-beauty brands (I did buy the sheet masks in the shape of a cat) to the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. People tried on hanboks while also eating Bibigo dumplings.

Chaniya Johnson made this headband after seeing other fans represent their favorite bands (Jen Chung / Gothamist)

"I've seen K-pop grow within the past 10 years, because I've been part of a K-pop group for 10 years of my life. But right now, it's more than just a music genre... it's become a culture, and the community of the fans is just something I've never seen before in any other space," Kevin Woo observed.

Woo was a member of the group U-Kiss between 2008 and 2017 before going solo. "I believe [K-pop] is ever growing. I don't see any limit to it yet... K-pop has always had an existence in America, but it got exposure because of Psy"—who broke through with "Gangnam Style" in 2012—"Right now, BTS is the face of K-pop in the States, and with all that media... it's really helped grow the fanbase of K-pop and there's more exposure," he said.

Referring to BTS's hit "Boy with Luv," which featured Halsey, Woo added, "Collabs with American artists, that's something I could have only imagined."

K-pop fans are intensely connected on social media, a strategy that K-pop bands have evolved since Woo got his start. Woo, who has 1.2 million followers on Twitter and 584,000+ on Instagram, noted groups "can't go out without social media. It's so crucial for artists these days to be connected with fans... connected constantly," he admitted. "That's what the fans are longing for these days. It's not just the music, they want to be connected to their favorite member: what they're doing, what they're eating, where they're going... And that's created a stronger bond between the artist and the fan."

"I had this fan meet and greet and this girl asked, 'Can I have an autograph on my arm?' I said, 'Sure, if you take a shower, it's going to go away,'" Woo recalled from KCON's Saturday session. "But she said that she was going to get it tattooed. And I was like no you're not. I thought she was kidding." On Sunday, however, she came back with the tattoo, Woo said, still overwhelmed by the gesture. "I've never had that experience... For someone to go to that measure, to show their love... that's just insane. It blew my mind."

Something else that changed with the times: The diversity of the fans. "Eight years ago, with my group U-kiss, it was mostly Korean, mostly Asians in the crowd. Within these five years, you can barely see any Koreans. It's very diverse, all different backgrounds," Woo said with excitement.

For New Yorker Kyrese Estwick, 17, KCON's draw was the dancing. Besides panels ("Masculinity and Femininity in K-Pop") and workshops (embroider your own K-pop band badge!), and Madison Square Garden concerts on Saturday and Sunday nights, there were areas for fans to dance and try out moves. "Everybody is super encouraging," he said. "For example, if you don't know the moves, people will help you." Kyrese (in the yellow shirt) and his group of friends spent a lot of time dancing:

The "fans over 30"—some of whom traveled from as far as Puerto Rico to attend the convention—shared their anecdotes about becoming a fan of the genre. One woman said she wouldn't let her daughter go to a BTS concert alone, so she took her... and fell in love with the sound. Others revealed that through watching K-dramas (R.I.P. Dramafever) led them to different K-pop groups, because they were featured on the shows' original soundtracks.

"I'm a Missy Elliott fan," Lynch (a.k.a. the Godmother of K-Pop at the Department of Sanitation) told the room, "and that's how I got into K-pop." Elliott performed at the 2013 KCON in L.A. with G-Dragon. For New Yorkers, she also pointed out that BIGBANG's "Bad Boy" video features the Marcy Avenue subway station.

Other over-30s discussed how they shrug off criticism for being fans of teenage pop stars. It's worth noting that in South Korea there's mandatory military service for male citizens, and many of these K-pop members have garnered attention at a young age in the industry before having to leave for service.

But most resoundingly, these fans had tales of how supportive others were of what they loved. "I was driving in Savannah, Georgia, playing music with the windows down," a woman said. "Then these college students pulled up next to me—and they all gave me the heart sign!"

"Awww," everyone chimed in.

And all agreed, the music has given them the chance to make new friends, no matter the age. 17-year-olds Nina Zampetti of New York and Charlie Huang of Maryland were attending KCON together, and they met through a mutual friend—who they each met at different K-pop events. Nina, whose favorite bands are BTS and NCT at the moment, was drawn to the music through the highly choreographed dance routines.

Charlie was also interested in the groups' dancing, but added, "Since I'm Asian, K-pop was a good way for me to get back in touch [with my culture]... It provided a connection."

Both were excited about the genre's booming popularity, especially Charlie, who said, "I never got to see anyone who looked like me while growing up. It's the best feeling."

Same, girl, same.