Coinciding with the Incheon Asian Games, the inaugural K-pop Expo in Asia will kick off a two-week live music expose to highlight Korean music.

With international eyes on Incheon during the two-week sports competition, which starts Friday, Incheon will also host Asia’s biggest K-pop showcase, hoping to attract participants and visitors of the games.

“The K-pop Expo is the largest pop expo in Asia, and aims to create a huge festival for the 4.5 billion Asians in the world,” said concert director Shim Yong-tae.

“Through this K-pop Expo, we believe that people will be moved by the excellence of K-pop.”

The concerts will be held 6 km from the Asian Games Sports Complex at the North Incheon Bokhap-danji. Starting Friday and running every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., the expo will highlight Korean music on four stages.

On the main stage, the upcoming expo will include live performances from some of the industry’s biggest names, including boy bands 2PM, Boyfriend, Block B, B2B, MBLAQ, BTS, Teen Top, ZE:A, 2AM and GOT7, and girl groups Sistar, Girl’s Day, Rainbow, and Kara and EXID.

The other three stages will feature artists from various genres, including hip-hop, EDM, trot, ballad and traditional Korean music, as well as a special Asian star audition segment. On Fridays and Saturdays, the expo will hold a club night where visitors can party and listen to live DJs until 5 a.m.

Along with a wide range of live performances, the two-week event will also include an exhibition showcasing the past 100 years of Korean music, and a cultural exhibition on the 43 countries participating in this year’s Asian Games.

“I am confident that the efforts to maintain the continued worldwide growth and popularity of K-pop and Korean culture will be seen on the stages at the North Incheon Bokhap-danji,” said event manager Yang Jang-suk.

“I especially believe that together with the Asian Games, the proximity to the sports complex, and the many international visitors that have come here will be a big help to our event.”

The K-pop Expo in Asia will run until Oct. 5. Tickets can be purchased online from k-popexpo.com, with prices ranging from 12,000 won to 55,000 won.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)