The K-pop wave made an appearance at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at the premiere of Inception: Hello New York on Saturday. Both a cultural festival and networking mixer, the event was hosted by MOI’M, a non-profit organization known for its entertainment events to connect individuals.

Produced by an impressive network of alumni from NYU, Columbia, Harvard, Yale and many more universities, the event included a variety of topics including New York City lifestyle advice and a talk by Korean designer Lie Sang Bong.

Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about multiple cross-cultural NYC organizations such as Liberation in North Korea and New York Media Insight Council.

The event itself was filled with not only regular New Yorkers, but also with people who came from as far as Korea and even Turkey. International students, NYU students and K-Pop fans alike were all welcomed.

The most anticipated aspect of the night was undoubtedly the special guest appearance of Eric Nam, an American-born entertainer and TV host based in Korea who encouraged fans to mold their own identities by taking chances.

“Today, we’re living in the age and time where we define ourselves — we have social media, we can make our own content, we can do whatever we want,” Nam said.

Through information booths, interactive performances and appearances by well-distinguished Korean personalities, MOI’M helped bridge the cultural gap between East and West.

LS freshman Marsela Lombardo embraced the growing trend of K-pop in the United States.

“It’s amazing how over the past 15 or so years, we’ve seen a big influx in the emergence of Asian culture into a large subculture all over the world for it,” Lombardo said.

Email Julia McFadden at [email protected].