I went to the Korean cosplay event “Comic World.”

— Impressions Outside the KINTEX Venue —

On March 14 and 15, 2026, “Comic World 330 Ilsan” was held at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.

Comic World is an event centered around the sale and exhibition of doujin works—independent creations by amateur artists featuring manga, games, and original characters. It is often described as having a culture similar to Japan’s famous Comic Market.

The event is not limited to Ilsan. It is also held in cities across Korea, including Busan, Daegu, Suwon, Ulsan, and Cheongju, and has become an established gathering place for younger generations to connect through subculture.

A stage is also set up inside the venue, where dance, singing, and other performances are presented, and events such as popularity polls are also held.

As it happens, I often pass by this area. On previous event days, I had occasionally seen cosplayers heading toward the venue while walking through the city.

“What kind of event is this, exactly?”

Curious about it, I decided this time to bring my camera and visit the venue myself.

You Can Feel the Energy Even Outside the Venue

When I arrived at KINTEX, many young people had already gathered outside.

Cosplayers dressed completely as their characters—from head to toe—were taking photos, filming videos on their smartphones, and chatting with friends.

Some groups were even rehearsing choreography, probably making final adjustments before performing on stage.

Even without entering the venue, the excitement of the event was easy to feel.

To be honest, however, I don’t know much about recent anime or games. In many cases, I couldn’t immediately recognize which characters the cosplayers were portraying.

Still, I imagined that if I did know the characters, the scene in front of me would probably feel even more fascinating. With that thought in mind, I continued to observe the crowd.

Gathering the Courage to Ask for a Photo

Since I had brought my camera, it seemed a little wasteful to leave without taking any photos. Of course, taking pictures without permission would be bad manners.

But at the same time, I wondered how people would feel if a complete stranger—just an older man with a camera—suddenly approached them.

That thought crossed my mind.

In moments like this, it’s probably better not to overthink things. I decided to simply give it a try.

I noticed a boy leaning against a pillar while looking at his smartphone, so I asked, “Would it be okay if I took a photo?”

He looked surprised for a moment, but quickly smiled and kindly agreed.

Once I had taken the first photo, the psychological barrier quickly disappeared. I approached a few more people when the timing felt right, and everyone responded warmly.

There seemed to be a calm and friendly atmosphere surrounding the event.

What to Do with the Photos

I planned to post the photos I took on my blog and on note as an introduction to the event.

However, the photos were taken outside the venue. The background was mostly the KINTEX building and walkways, and other people inevitably appeared in the frame.

As photos meant to convey the excitement of the event, they felt a little lacking.

That’s when I thought about using AI to change the background.

When I tried replacing the background with AI, I was surprised at how well it worked with cosplay photos. Simply changing the background to match the character’s world dramatically changed the impression of the image.

It felt almost like watching an old black-and-white photograph suddenly come back to life in vivid color.

At the same time, it raised a new question for me as a photographer.

“If AI can enhance images this much, isn’t a smartphone camera good enough?”

So I asked that question—and received an interesting answer.

The greatest strength of high-end cameras is the quality of the original data.
AI is very good at enhancing images, but it cannot perfectly create information that was never captured.

Full-frame cameras
・have larger sensors
・capture more light
・record far more information in RAW data

In other words, the “materials” that AI works with are dramatically better.

That made sense. When I thought about it that way, bringing a heavy camera along had its own value after all.

A Much Bigger Event Than I Expected

What impressed me most after visiting the venue was how large the event actually was.

Looking at social media, I could even see cosplayers who had traveled from Japan to participate.

In the future, the number of international participants may continue to grow.

Japanese anime has long been extremely popular in Korea. At this event as well, I saw many cosplayers portraying characters from Japanese works such as “Demon Slayer” and “NARUTO.”

Subcultures like anime and games may play an important role in cultural exchange between Japan and Korea.

So what can I do?

Perhaps the best thing I can do is to record moments like these and share them with others.

Even if it is a small contribution, documenting and communicating the atmosphere of these places may be my own way of participating.