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Adventures in K-Pop Fandom
by Lauren Jiang
K-pop fans eagerly await their band, Laboum, in 2017. photo: courtesy South China Morning PostK-POP FANDOM IS UNLIKE ANYTHING
anyone has ever seen, at least not since the ‘60s British Invasion.
How can I claim this? First of all, fans of K-pop go above and beyond to see their “idols,” which is what they call their star singers, and to feel intimately connected to them. And, due to limited laws against invasion of privacy in South Korea and the country’s collectivist culture, the K-pop world makes space for even the craziest fans to live out their dreams.
The most hardcore fans, or “sasaeng,” are infamous for hiring taxi cabs to drive them around all day following the vans of their favorite K-pop acts (the groups often travel in vans, to keep the members together). Sometimes such fervent interest—OK, stalking—causes accidents, which forces K-pop artists to make statements publicly.
In one instance Chanyeol, a member of EXO, a Chinese-Korean group currently in the top five nationally, took to Instagram, saying, “We need to work to keep each other safe.”
It is also common for Sasaeng fans to find the phone numbers of idols and harass them with text messages and calls. This happened to Chanyeol’s band mate, Baekhyun, who was filming a live-streaming broadcast when a suspicious number started blowing up his phone. He ignored the calls but mentioned with irritation they were from a fan.
On the lighter side of the fandom, many fans buy DSLR cameras with massive lenses so they can take close-ups of their favorite artists, despite being galaxies away. After capturing the images, fans are quick to post them on social media.
Another common idiosyncrasy is the absence of dancing at concerts. Instead of freely dancing, fans often stand still while chanting in unison. A “fan-chant” generally consists of band members’ names, song lyrics and encouraging words. The purpose of fan-chants is to show respect and adoration, but only briefly, after which they listen quietly during the performance.
I witnessed a fan-chant when I attended a concert by Day6, a five-member boy band from JYP Entertainment. Before the show started, cards were passed around asking for no unnecessary screaming. This is not out of malice; loyal fans just wanted to create an environment for the artists where they’re not overpowered. Indeed, after each song, there were a few moments of loud cheering and then complete silence, so their beloved idols could say what they want.
Malaysian K-pop fans flew all the way to Seoul to see their 'idols,' the super group Girls Generation. photo: courtesy Malaysian TimesThere is one must-buy item if you’re a K-pop fan. If you are truly a loyal and adoring fan of a K-pop group, you’ve got to buy their lightstick and wave it in unison during the concert.
Lightsticks are typically colorful, one to two feet long and display the group’s logo. Sometimes, they have Bluetooth connectivity so when the fans are at a show their lightsticks change color to the tune of the song, creating a unique and united spectacle.
Another thing that differentiates K-pop fans from other fans is their widespread and jealous attachment to their idols. Few artists across the entire industry can publicly date, let alone marry. Fans believe that the only relationship an idol should be in is with them.
Indeed, when idols do date, they usually have to consult their studio in order to #1, make sure the other person falls in line with their image and brand, and #2, be sure fans won’t be outraged over the news.
Certain idols are allowed to date, depending on level of fame. For example, when Wonder Girls’ Yeeun and 2AM’s Jinwoon began dating, fans were perfectly fine with it, since both come from less popular groups.
However, when it was revealed that superstar Taeyeon, from Girls Generation, was dating EXO’s Baekhyun, fans were furious. Both idols come from mega-famous groups, on top of which, both had been posting cryptic posts about one another on Instagram. It seems trivial, but these details are critical to fans.
With Twitter ablaze nowadays, fans take to the platform to congregate and share information. Sometimes fan wars breakout between followers of different groups. There are well-known rival fan groups, like the fandoms of EXO and BTS, two of the biggest K-pop boy bands.
It’s gotten so bad that the members of the respective groups never discuss the other group in their interviews. Their fan clubs, EXO-L and ARMY respectively, are often at each others’ throats, either online or in public, often sabotaging each other. For example, when BTS was up for a Billboard Music Award, some EXO-L fans conspired to vote for Justin Bieber, just so BTS wouldn’t win.
It’s all extremely petty, and often creates concern in Korea over why fans become so obsessed. Some say it has to do with their youth and immaturity. Others say it’s the anonymous nature of the Internet.
A Seoul concert by Infinite, at the start of ‘One Great Step’ world tour, 15,000 banners were distributed saying the fans will patiently await their return. photo: courtesy Beyond HallyuStill others suggest it is a natural outgrowth of Korea’s rapid transition from impoverished front-line state to an advanced, prosperous and highly romantic society, which happens to be in the nuclear shadow of their brother nation to the north, generating an existential angst not unlike in the West in the ‘60s.
The K-pop fandom is also very present on “stan Twitter”, the side of Twitter where the most dedicated fans, or “stans” (derived from the Eminem song “Stan”), use their own lingo and slang to communicate with each other.
This transcends other platforms, including YouTube, where “crack” videos, fan-made videos, are popular. Crack videos often include shots of K-pop idols and groups and popular memes, as well as voiceovers of a computer-generated voice reciting a funny script.
But K-pop fandom isn’t all bad. In fact, one of the most meaningful draws is the level of diversity. This can be seen at massive K-pop events like KCON, the annual K-pop convention held in different locations internationally and coming to Los Angeles on August 10th, and at concerts.
K-pop fans range from elementary school girls to elderly grandmas and men of many persuasions. Its diverse reach also connects people internationally.
Within a single fandom, people are very kind to one another. I witnessed this when I camped out, along with hundreds of other fans, the night before a BTS concert. In the shivering cold, as a light snow fell, many people passed out photo-cards of band members, or bookmarks and banners they had made. The level of creativity and generosity was so nice, it established a common bond among those in attendance.
The standard K-pop event, where a fan can interact with an idol, are the fan signings and fan meetings. Generally the idols perform a few songs, sometimes new renditions of old ones, and have meet-and-greet time, where fans line up to approach them sitting behind a table.
Often times, fans bring photo books they made themselves, or write questions on post-its, where idols write answers. Fans then turn to Twitter and other social media to share these post-its and signatures with the rest of the fandom.
Suga of BTS dons a garland gifted to him by a dedicated fan. Photo: courtesy of Big Hit EntertainmentAt fan events, it’s very common for fans to gift idols with cutesy headbands or flower crowns. Unlike in America, boy groups don’t shy away from sporting the adorable pieces and fans “ooh” and “aah” whenever they wear them. Although fans are usually not allowed to hug band members, they can hold their hands.
Overall, being considerate of the feelings of the fandom is much more emphasized in K-pop than it is in the western entertainment industry.
The unity of the fandom and tendency to not stand out from the crowd is rooted in the collectivist style of Asian culture, in general, and South Korea, in particular. Contrary to American society, Koreans tend to be against individualism and prefer instead work towards greater harmony among the group. Within this context, their behavior as fans makes sense.
Lauren Jiang was born and raised in the Bay Area and is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist who is passionate about strengthening community, expressing herself through performing arts, and specializing in Korean culture—indeed, she recently lived there for a year. Jiang can be reached .
Posted on Jul 15, 2018 - 12:04 AM
by Lauren Jiang
K-pop fans eagerly await their band, Laboum, in 2017. photo: courtesy South China Morning Postanyone has ever seen, at least not since the ‘60s British Invasion.
How can I claim this? First of all, fans of K-pop go above and beyond to see their “idols,” which is what they call their star singers, and to feel intimately connected to them. And, due to limited laws against invasion of privacy in South Korea and the country’s collectivist culture, the K-pop world makes space for even the craziest fans to live out their dreams.
The most hardcore fans, or “sasaeng,” are infamous for hiring taxi cabs to drive them around all day following the vans of their favorite K-pop acts (the groups often travel in vans, to keep the members together). Sometimes such fervent interest—OK, stalking—causes accidents, which forces K-pop artists to make statements publicly.
In one instance Chanyeol, a member of EXO, a Chinese-Korean group currently in the top five nationally, took to Instagram, saying, “We need to work to keep each other safe.”
It is also common for Sasaeng fans to find the phone numbers of idols and harass them with text messages and calls. This happened to Chanyeol’s band mate, Baekhyun, who was filming a live-streaming broadcast when a suspicious number started blowing up his phone. He ignored the calls but mentioned with irritation they were from a fan.
On the lighter side of the fandom, many fans buy DSLR cameras with massive lenses so they can take close-ups of their favorite artists, despite being galaxies away. After capturing the images, fans are quick to post them on social media.
Another common idiosyncrasy is the absence of dancing at concerts. Instead of freely dancing, fans often stand still while chanting in unison. A “fan-chant” generally consists of band members’ names, song lyrics and encouraging words. The purpose of fan-chants is to show respect and adoration, but only briefly, after which they listen quietly during the performance.
I witnessed a fan-chant when I attended a concert by Day6, a five-member boy band from JYP Entertainment. Before the show started, cards were passed around asking for no unnecessary screaming. This is not out of malice; loyal fans just wanted to create an environment for the artists where they’re not overpowered. Indeed, after each song, there were a few moments of loud cheering and then complete silence, so their beloved idols could say what they want.
Malaysian K-pop fans flew all the way to Seoul to see their 'idols,' the super group Girls Generation. photo: courtesy Malaysian TimesLightsticks are typically colorful, one to two feet long and display the group’s logo. Sometimes, they have Bluetooth connectivity so when the fans are at a show their lightsticks change color to the tune of the song, creating a unique and united spectacle.
Another thing that differentiates K-pop fans from other fans is their widespread and jealous attachment to their idols. Few artists across the entire industry can publicly date, let alone marry. Fans believe that the only relationship an idol should be in is with them.
Indeed, when idols do date, they usually have to consult their studio in order to #1, make sure the other person falls in line with their image and brand, and #2, be sure fans won’t be outraged over the news.
Certain idols are allowed to date, depending on level of fame. For example, when Wonder Girls’ Yeeun and 2AM’s Jinwoon began dating, fans were perfectly fine with it, since both come from less popular groups.
However, when it was revealed that superstar Taeyeon, from Girls Generation, was dating EXO’s Baekhyun, fans were furious. Both idols come from mega-famous groups, on top of which, both had been posting cryptic posts about one another on Instagram. It seems trivial, but these details are critical to fans.
With Twitter ablaze nowadays, fans take to the platform to congregate and share information. Sometimes fan wars breakout between followers of different groups. There are well-known rival fan groups, like the fandoms of EXO and BTS, two of the biggest K-pop boy bands.
It’s gotten so bad that the members of the respective groups never discuss the other group in their interviews. Their fan clubs, EXO-L and ARMY respectively, are often at each others’ throats, either online or in public, often sabotaging each other. For example, when BTS was up for a Billboard Music Award, some EXO-L fans conspired to vote for Justin Bieber, just so BTS wouldn’t win.
It’s all extremely petty, and often creates concern in Korea over why fans become so obsessed. Some say it has to do with their youth and immaturity. Others say it’s the anonymous nature of the Internet.
A Seoul concert by Infinite, at the start of ‘One Great Step’ world tour, 15,000 banners were distributed saying the fans will patiently await their return. photo: courtesy Beyond HallyuThe K-pop fandom is also very present on “stan Twitter”, the side of Twitter where the most dedicated fans, or “stans” (derived from the Eminem song “Stan”), use their own lingo and slang to communicate with each other.
This transcends other platforms, including YouTube, where “crack” videos, fan-made videos, are popular. Crack videos often include shots of K-pop idols and groups and popular memes, as well as voiceovers of a computer-generated voice reciting a funny script.
But K-pop fandom isn’t all bad. In fact, one of the most meaningful draws is the level of diversity. This can be seen at massive K-pop events like KCON, the annual K-pop convention held in different locations internationally and coming to Los Angeles on August 10th, and at concerts.
K-pop fans range from elementary school girls to elderly grandmas and men of many persuasions. Its diverse reach also connects people internationally.
Within a single fandom, people are very kind to one another. I witnessed this when I camped out, along with hundreds of other fans, the night before a BTS concert. In the shivering cold, as a light snow fell, many people passed out photo-cards of band members, or bookmarks and banners they had made. The level of creativity and generosity was so nice, it established a common bond among those in attendance.
The standard K-pop event, where a fan can interact with an idol, are the fan signings and fan meetings. Generally the idols perform a few songs, sometimes new renditions of old ones, and have meet-and-greet time, where fans line up to approach them sitting behind a table.
Often times, fans bring photo books they made themselves, or write questions on post-its, where idols write answers. Fans then turn to Twitter and other social media to share these post-its and signatures with the rest of the fandom.
Suga of BTS dons a garland gifted to him by a dedicated fan. Photo: courtesy of Big Hit EntertainmentOverall, being considerate of the feelings of the fandom is much more emphasized in K-pop than it is in the western entertainment industry.
The unity of the fandom and tendency to not stand out from the crowd is rooted in the collectivist style of Asian culture, in general, and South Korea, in particular. Contrary to American society, Koreans tend to be against individualism and prefer instead work towards greater harmony among the group. Within this context, their behavior as fans makes sense.
Lauren Jiang was born and raised in the Bay Area and is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist who is passionate about strengthening community, expressing herself through performing arts, and specializing in Korean culture—indeed, she recently lived there for a year. Jiang can be reached .
Posted on Jul 15, 2018 - 12:04 AM
