Japan has been designated the first country to host South Korea‘s largest convention of Korean pop music and culture for this year, organizers said Monday.

First launched in Irvine, California, in 2012, KCON is hosted by CJ E&M and held in multiple countries throughout the world.

Attending the event has become an annual pilgrimage for K-pop fans around the globe, with more than 566,000 fans taking part throughout its seven-year run.

K-pop artists perform during KCON 2017 NY held in New York on June 23. (CJ E&M)

CJ E&M is the media and entertainment unit of the South Korean conglomerate CJ.

KCON Japan began in 2015 and has expanded in size every year to reach a three-year cumulative total of 96,000 visitors.

This year’s KCON is to kick off at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, Japan, from April 13-15. The lineup for the event is not yet available.

“CJ E&M is playing a pivotal role in establishing the Korean lifestyle as one of the mainstream cultures within Japan by continuously hosting KCON, where visitors can experience Korean culture in a comprehensive way,” Shin Hyung-gwan, who is in charge of the company‘s music content business, said in a press release.

“We will take a step forward this year to revitalize cultural exchanges between Korea and Japan.” (Yonhap)