K-pop, shortened to Korean pop, is now a well known genre of music that people worldwide love and follow. The video that I have attached is actually a foreign YouTuber who makes videos on what typical Kpop fandoms look like. It is fun and interesting to see how these foreign fans are sometimes more knowledgeable about the K-pop culture than actual Koreans. This YouTuber shows highly detailed fandom activities and habits by targeting specific K-pop groups. K-pop has now reached its fourth generation with more groups and supporting companies coming up. I personally am more knowledgeable about the groups that appeared during the first and second generation and have lost track of the newly trending Korean pop culture. However, I can definitely tell that K-pop has evolved over the years. K-pop has been known for its catchy melodies, stunning visuals, and captivating choreographies as these companies make their potential idols go through rigorous training. I also would say that the help of the developing technologies have upgraded K-pop with their music videos, sound tracks, and auto tunes. Also, the members of the K-pop groups started becoming more diverse with members coming from different countries like China, Japan, America and many more.
I personally had a phase when I was a huge K-pop fan back in middle school. I always grew up listening to K-pop and was a fan of the second generation groups such as BIGBANG, 2NE1, and many more. My love for K-pop peaked in 6th grade when I encountered the group called EXO. At the time, EXO had # members and was known for their one-take dance choreography video and a diverse group of people. I used to collect their posters, CD albums, photo cards, stickers, and many more with their faces on them. When I think back at this behavior, I am a little freaked out on how obsessed I was with them. However, it is very normalized in Korea. The fandom these Kpop groups hold are enormous and somewhat creepy. For generations, K-pop idols have encountered numerous problematic situations where stalking and obsessions were out of their control. It is quite interesting how these idols have to hide their personal lives, especially when it comes to dating someone. The fans treated the idols as if they were their own significant other and would follow them around wherever they performed, did a meet and greet, or wherever they visited during their leisure time. Although there are some downsides within these K-pop fandoms, it is great to see improvements and the increase in popularity of the K-pop culture and the influence it has on the overall attraction towards Korean culture.
Comments
This was an interesting read! Its cool how K-pop has risen as a trend the past few years, and I had no idea the obsession some fans had over these groups. I wonder if this has improved or worsened in recent years. I agree that its nice K-pop has opened up the door to Korean culture in general.