Korean Pop Trivia | 100 trivia & facts about K-pop [Part 5]

One of the genres of music that is constantly gaining worldwide recognition and fans is K-pop. The Korean Pop is here to stay!

We already talked about its history and how it burst throught to English language territories. It’s time to find out how social media made this possible and easier for these acts.

Social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook allow K-pop artists to reach a global audience and to communicate readily with their fans
As global online music market revenue increased 19% from 2009 to 2014 with social media, music consumers around the world are more likely to be exposed to K-pop
K-pop idol groups benefit from video-based social media such as YouTube
The number of searches of “K-pop” on YouTube increased by a factor of 33 from 2004 to 2014
Through social media advertisement, Korean entertainment companies narrowed the cultural gap so K-pop could enter the global market and gain recognition among overseas consumers
The export of K-pop dramatically increased from US$13.9 million to US$204 million between 2007 and 2011
Social media also changes the consumption patterns of K-pop music
Before the digital era, people would purchase and consume music products on an individual basis
Consumers now actively participate in sharing music products and advertising their favorite artists, which is advantageous for K-pop
Since K-pop started to spread its industry outside South Korea, K-pop artists have set notable records on YouTube
Of the 2.28 billion worldwide K-pop YouTube views in 2011, 240 million came from the United States
This is more than double the figure from 2010 (94 million)
In December 2011, K-pop became the first country-specific genre of music to gain a homepage on YouTube
In December 2012, Psy’s music video for “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video to receive 1 billion views
In 2016 the music video for the song “TT” by Twice became the first video by a female Korean act with over 400 million YouTube views
On January 21, 2019, girl group Blackpink’s music video Ddu-Du-Ddu-Du became the highest viewed K-pop group music video on YouTube
On April 12, 2019, BTS’ music video for “Boy with Luv” set a record for the most viewed online music video in the first 24 hours
It garnered over 74 million views in 24 hours
Twitter has also been a significant social media platform for K-pop stars to get connections and promotions.
The viral song “Gangnam Style” gained popularity from mentions by prominent Twitter users
Bang Si Hyuk, the producer of BTS, partially attributed the fast growth of their fanbase to social media such as Twitter
On November 13, 2017, BTS became the first South Korean act to reach 10 million followers on Twitter
In 2017, BTS was the most tweeted-about artist both in the United States and globally
Other K-pop groups, such as Seventeen and Monsta X, also appeared in the global top ten
Exo, a South Korean boyband, was the most followed celebrity to have entered Twitter in 2017
At the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Billboard Music Awards, BTS won the award for Top Social Media Artist based on Twitter voting by their fans
According to Sin Chang Seob, the CEO of Twitter Korea, the usage of Twitter by K-pop artists has increased Twitter’s popularity among South Koreans
Many Korean entertainment companies use social media platforms, especially Facebook, to promote and communicate about their global auditions
K-pop groups use Facebook pages to promote their music and other content to large numbers of fans
K-pop fans use Facebook to express their devotion, communicate with other members of the K-pop community, and consume K-pop content
It is worth noting that not all K-pop fans are young women
In 2018 Metro magazine interviewed male adult K-pop fans of different nationalities, who talked about how following male pop groups and being part of their fandoms had helped them understand themselves and the concept of masculinity better
Many fans travel overseas to see their idols on tour, and tourists commonly visit Korea from Japan and China to see K-pop concerts
A K-pop tour group from Japan had more than 7,000 fans fly to Seoul to meet boy band JYJ in 2012
During JYJ’s concert in Barcelona in 2011, fans from many parts of the world camped overnight to gain entrance
A 2011 survey conducted by the Korean Culture and Information Service reported that there were over 3 million active members of Hallyu fan clubs
An article by The Wall Street Journal indicated that K-pop’s future staying power will be shaped by fans, whose online activities have evolved into “micro-businesses”
K-pop groups commonly have dedicated fan clubs with a collective name and sometimes an assigned colour to which they will release merchandise
For example, TVXQ fans are known as ‘Cassiopeia’
Their official colour is ‘pearl red’
Some of the more popular groups have personalised light sticks for use at concerts
For example, Big Bang fans hold yellow crown-shaped light sticks
Fan clubs sometimes participate in charity events to support their idols, purchasing bags of ‘fan rice’ in order to show support
The rice bags are donated to those in need
According to Time, for one of Big Bang’s shows, 12.7 tons of rice were donated from 50 fan clubs around the world
There are businesses in Korea dedicated to shipping rice from farmers to the venues
Another way that fan clubs show their devotion is by sending lunch to idols during their schedules
There are catering companies in South Korea specifically for this purpose
A unique feature of K-pop fandom is the “fan chant”
When an idol group releases a new song, chants, usually consisting of group members’ names, are performed by live concert audiences during non-singing parts of songs
Some idols and idol groups have faced problems from obsessive fans that indulge in stalking or invasive behavior
These fans are known as sasaeng fans
The word comes from the Korean word for ‘private life’
It alludes to their penchant for invading the privacy of idols and members of idol groups
There have been accounts of extreme behaviors from fans trying to gain idols’ attention
Korean public officials recognize this as a unique but serious concern
Some idols have reacted angrily towards sasaeng fans, for which they received backlash
These include members of JYJ, Super Junior member Kim Hee-chul, and Jang Keun-suk
In response to the issue, a new law introduced in February 2016 in Korea saw the penalty for stalking rise to around US$17,000 as well a possible two-year jail sentence
Αccording to the estimates of celebrity managers in the Korean media, popular Korean celebrities may have “between 500 and 1,000 sasaeng fans”
Some may be actively followed by about 100 sasaeng fans every day
Sasaeng fans are described as often being female, aged 17 to 22, and driven to commit what in some cases may amount to borderline criminal acts in order to gain attention from celebrities
Examples of such acts include seeking out celebrities at their dorms or homes, stealing their personal belongings or information, harassing family members, and sending idols inappropriate gifts such as lingerie
Although the term sasaeng was coined much later, the obsessive, disruptive fan behavior it designates emerged with the rise of K-pop idol groups and “fandoms” in the 1990s
This was first noted by local English-language newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily in 2001
There are accounts of such fan behavior prior to the digital era from industry veterans and members of first generation K-pop groups such as H.O.T. and g.o.d.
With the rapid development of the Korean popular culture industry, and the spread of the Hallyu wave internationally in the 2000s and in recent years, extreme and disruptive fan behavior towards Korean idols and celebrities has also been seen abroad
Anti-fans contrast with sasaeng fans
Anti-fans main goal is to see the ultimate failure of certain idols and groups
In 2006, TVXQ member Yunho was taken to hospital after accepting a drink laced with glue from an apparent fan
The suspect in this case had also given Yunho a letter criticizing TVXQ and seemingly threatening the band as a whole
Eventually, he confessed to being an anti-fan of TVXQ
While both sasaeng fans and anti-fans have been seen to engage in activities causing harm to idols and groups
Sasaeng fans are motivated by the idea of recognition from idols, rather than by a desire to ridicule and prevent the success of their target
K-pop boy bands TVXQ and JYJ have been particular targets of sasaeng attention
With reports of sasaeng fans tapping TVXQ band members’ phones, breaking into the band’s apartment, and poisoning member Yunho, who had to have his stomach pumped as a result
Saesang fans also installed cameras in JYJ member Yoochun’s private parking lot
In 2012, audio of Yoochun and bandmate Jaejoong purportedly shouting at and hitting female fans was uploaded to an online message board
JYJ band members addressed this incident at a press conference
Yoochun said that sasaeng fans had been following the group for eight years, since they were members of TVXQ, and that the constant surveillance “felt like prison”
Band member Junsu said that saesang fans had tapped his private phone calls, installed GPS trackers on the band’s cars, and broken into their private property. Jaejoong issued an apology for lashing out at fans
A video of TVXQ member Changmin dragging and throwing a sasaeng from her cab was uploaded in 2018
There have been a number of car accidents involving Korean idols being followed by sasaeng fans
In 2011, two members of the band Super Junior were caught in a six-car collision after being chased by eight fan vehicles in Singapore
The band members, Leeteuk and Heechul, were unharmed, but Heechul later tweeted that he still suffered after-effects from the accident and was often afraid to drive
In 2013, Seungri, formerly of the band Big Bang, suffered minor injuries in a car accident in Shanghai involving a sasaeng fan
In 2015, Chanyeol of the band Exo wrote on Weibo that he was constantly followed by 20 fan vehicles during a visit to Shanghai
In 2016, Jackson of Got7 sustained minor injuries in an accident on the way to an airport in China that involved a fan closely following his car
Idols including Jung Yong-hwa of CNBLUE, Zico of Block B, Junho of 2PM, and Lay of Exo have reported incidents of sasaeng fans following them home or attempting to break in to their homes
In 2014, a fan unlawfully entered singer Seo Taiji’s home, and was found sitting in the singer’s car when police arrived
Seo did not press charges against the fan, who admitted to having “lurked” near the singer’s home on other occasions
In November 2009, a fan of boy group 2PM member Ok Taecyeon posted writing in blood
It was later reported to be menstrual blood, as proof of her adulation
This obsessive behavior toward the celebrity led to criticism of her actions, including from other 2PM fans
In December 2009, an obsessive fan of MBLAQ’s Lee Joon (real name Lee chang-sun) wrote and posted a message written in blood on social medi
The message read, “Don’t forget me, Lee chang-sun. I only have you. I love you”
She cited the 2PM blood-writing incident as impetus and motive for her act, writing in her caption, “What was that Ok Taecyeon fan’s blood writing. Period blood is so gross. I’ll show what blood writing is”
In January 2010, an obsessive fan of the group Wonder Girls cut her wrist and used her own blood to write a note
She wrote “Come back, Wonder Girls”
She posted the picture of her face half-covered by her hand, showing the blood-writing and the scar on her wrist