South Korea’s K-XF Adult Festival returns in 2024, following the event’s inaugural edition last December in Gwangmyeong.
In fact, the first was such a hit that K-XF is set to happen three times this year (April, August, and December). It looks like the Taiwan Red Expo has some serious competition!
The first and largest event of its kind in Korea, KXF is a self-professed and unashamed “festival obsessed with sex and fashion.”
Held in Suwon on April 20 and 21, K-XF will feature various exhibitor booths for adult toys and other items, but the real highlights are the appearances of top talent in the industry.
The festival has already confirmed the appearance of several huge Japanese porn stars: Ai Hongo, Himari Kinoshita, Ibuki Aoi, Mai Nanashima, Fuua Kaede, Akari Tsumugi, Miru (Miru Sakamichi), Akane Mitani, Ayaka Yamagishi, Unpai, and Yuna Ogura.
Here’s the official blurb:
In 2024, under the theme “The Fashion,” we aim to open new horizons in adult entertainment, promising intriguing and diverse experiences for adults. This festival intends to offer a reality that’s more thrilling than sensual fantasies, aspiring to be a hub for a healthy and innovative adult entertainment culture that respects sexual diversity and individuality.
Like world-class adult expos, KXF will provide unique experiences, serve as a conduit for sharing industry trends and information, and offer networking opportunities with various brands. We look forward to sharing our passion with you at KXF 2024 and co-creating the future of the adult entertainment industry.
According to the organizers, the events this year will be “10 times larger” than the first edition, with 10,000 adult male participants expected from around the globe.
Tickets cost $67 per day. Additional fees are charged for fan signings with the JAV porn stars.
Such events happen in Japan too, of course, but the popularity of JAV in other parts of Asia continues to grow and the industry is very invested in cultivating this market (not least because the population of Japan is aging and declining while many parts of Asia are the opposite).
In certain countries, porn stars are among the most famous Japanese people. Likewise, the popularity of JAV in Hong Kong is such that well-known porn stars are doing sex work there.
Not everyone is happy about K-XF, though. A network of around forty women’s groups have protested about the festival, calling it sexually exploitative and objectifying. They held a press conference on March 12 in Suwon, according to media reports.
A spokesperson for K-XF countered that such protests seek to tar adult content and events as illegal, which steers adult culture in an unhealthy and closed direction. In fact, they say, scientific research proves that greater consumption of adult content leads to a decrease in sex crimes.