Curious about Korea beyond the Olympics? Head to KoreaFest in Raleigh Saturday to load up on K-pop, K-beauty, lots of food

Have you become more than a little bit obsessed with Korea thanks to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang? You're in luck!

Saturday's festival is bigger than the first one, which was held on the same weekend last year in Garner. That first event drew nearly 4,000 people. Organizers hope interest in the Winter Olympics will bring even more out for a day of Korean performances, food, education and activities, including crafts and games for kids.

"Because we do have the Olympics going on right now, I feel like more people are aware of Korea," said Heoak Lee, president of the Global Korean Wave Federation - Carolinas. "We're hoping that it will play a role and bring more people as they get more information about Korea."

KoreaFest runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17. Tickets are $10. Kids 12 and under are free. Organizers are recommending people buy them in advance as those with tickets will be given priority entrance.

If you go, here are four things to look out for.

Headlining KoreaFest is DANakaDAN, the Los Angeles-based alternative hip-hop artist, YouTube celebrity and Korean adoptee, who moved to the United States as a young child. He chronicles his experience, including his trip to Korea to meet his birth family and twin brother, in a documentary that KoreaFest will screen during a special viewing at 6 p.m., Friday. During the screening, he'll share some of his feelings and thoughts about the process of finding his birth families, Lee said.

His video for his latest - "Crazy Rich Asians" - is on YouTube.

That's short for Korean pop, a popular music genre from South Korea that relies heavily on both music and dance. "K-pop is fast-paced and it's generally made up of boy groups or girl groups," Lee said. "They are known for their dancing, not just their singing."

KoreaFest will feature both K-pop singing and dance contests. First place winners will take home $1,000 prizes. Ready to brush up on your K-pop? Check out BTS's "Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix), which has racked up more than 158 million views on YouTube in two months.

All I can say is, "Yum!" Thanks to a friend, whose parents come from Korea, and regular visits to H Mart in Cary, the Korean grocery store that opened in Cary in 2016, I've developed a new appreciation for Korean food in recent years. This isn't Chinese food. Think a ton of side dishes including, of course, the Korean staple kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish, marinated meats and lots of rice and noodles.

At KoreaFest, you'll find all kinds of dishes, including bulgogi, a marinated beef; spicy pork; sweet and spicy chicken; kimbap, a Korean-style sushi; and hotteok, a pancake with a sweet filling inside. "Not everything is spicy," Lee said. "We will have plenty of options that are not spicy as well as vegetarian options."

Fun fact: McDonald's in Korea offer bulgogi burgers. You'll get to see a McDonald's menu from Korea at KoreaFest.