Woes of a K-Pop Fan
Months ago, a friend convinced me to check out the survival show, Universe League. Wherein a Filipino contestant, JL, has been giving outstanding performances—wowing his fellow trainees and the directors of the show. Eventually, earning the number one spot to debut in the upcoming K-Pop group, AHOF.
Through this show, I rediscovered my love for K-Pop music and production, something I had set aside for the past 5 years.
Thanks to Universe League, I found myself crawling back to listening to WayV, where its members Ten and Yang Yang are the directors of JL's Team, Rhythm, and RIIZE, whose song "Siren" was performed excellently by the trainees during the first round.
Rediscovering K-Pop
Rediscovering K-Pop made me remember the days when no one around you can comprehend how a person can listen to a song in a language they don't understand.
Also, those were the days on how one can easily connect or have a conversation with someone whose also into K-Pop. Therefore, you had this sense of community and belongingness despite the groups you like.
It brings back many happy memories and I'm grateful for how it has evolved from a niche to a globally recognized genre.
In the early days of K-Pop, limited access to content forced us 'ancient fans' (lol) to visit obscure sites just to get updates—or even wait weeks for translations.
Now, it's more accessible as they're all over social media platforms—to which I truly appreciate.
And of course, as you go back to K-Pop scene, you will also unknowingly fall again into the rabbit hole of knowing each member in the group, and come with it, the ridiculous issues thrown at them.
The Toxic side of K-Pop
K-Pop is amazing, but like almost everything else in the world, it has an ugly side.
There are plenty of absurd so-called "scandals" that result in a member or an entire group being canceled. Here are some of the common ones.
1. Dating "scandals"
It's baffling that these K-Pop stars have to apologize publicly for simply dating. It's as if they're not humans with feelings.
A recent example would be a member from RIIZE was taken out from the band just because he dated somebody before he debuted. To make things worse, some "OT6 fans" (those who only support the remaining six members) now flood every RIIZE-related content with unnecessary comments.
2. Forced "Shipping" Culture and Odd Fan Service
The weird obsession with ships (romantic pairings with members) can get excessive. There are fans pressuring idols to initiate skinship (physical affection) as if every interaction is a scripted BL or GL drama.
There’s nothing wrong with LGBTQ+ representation, but forcing narratives onto people who are simply friends, somehow makes the members feel uncomfortable. You can see it in their subtle body languages and eyes, to be honest.
Similarly, girl group members often get bashed simply for greeting a boy group member. This leads to idols feeling awkward during award shows—honestly, it’s hilarious but also sad to watch.
Again, nothing wrong with shipping people if they have chemistry but we need to be mindful and be moderate about it, too.
Too much of something isn't nice.
3. Sasaeng Culture aka Obsessive fans
Unfortunately, we have the infamous "Sasaengs", term for obsessive fans who do not recognize the boundaries of a fan and their idols, ludicrously stalking them non-stop, leaking personal and private information, and even installing hidden cameras.
Talk about creepy AF!
4. Toxic Fandom wars
There’s also the unnecessary bashing within and between fandoms. Some fans attack their own group's members, like Black Pink solo stans, while others engage in fan wars against rival groups.
The level of negativity is exhausting.
5. The Most Disturbing: Sexualizing Minors
And the most disturbing of them all are adult fans sexualizing minors in both boy and girl groups. How can you, a 30+- even 50+ year old, full-grown adult, almost a retiree at least, call a minor your husband or wife? Or harass and slander them because they fail to "meet your expectations"?
Seriously, get a life or I'll call the police!
All the while, I thought these behaviors are only limited to Koreans (K-Netz), but sadly, even Filipino fans are becoming like them.
These toxicity were the reasons I just decided to step back from K-Pop in 2020.
Mental Health implications of toxic K-Pop
With all these struggles that an idol faces, instead of focusing on their craft, they end up getting anxiety, paranoia, and eventually, depression.
And the worst outcome? Some of the idols decide to take their own lives just to attain a peace of mind.
We've seen a lot of news about K-Pop idols taking their own life and most of the times, some of these were driven endless scrutiny of the so-called fans.
An example would be Sulli, a former member from f(x). Rest in peace, Sulli.
Thankfully, the K-Pop industry has started initiating the in priority an idol's mental health, which is already a good step. However, it's a still long way to go.
Best thing to do as a fan
At the end of the day, these idols are humans, just like us. They get tired, they want to rest, they get angry, they get hungry, they fall in love. They are people, not objects.
What's the best thing that we can do for them as fans?
- Respect their personal lives and boundaries
- Support their craft (stream their music, buy their album, etc.)
- Treat them like real people — because they are real people
We do NOT own them
They do NOT owe us anything.
THEY'RE SIMPLY DOING THEIR JOB AND PASSION.
Imagine if your life is being scrutinized the way some fans do to their idols. How would you feel?
In short, have a sense of EMPATHY.
How about you? Have you encountered these instances as a K-Pop fan? And how are you contributing to a positive fandom experience? Let me know in the comments!
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