The Aftermath of the Korean Wave: K-pop Fandom(s) Facing a Shift from Sub-culture to ‘Mainstream’

Abstract

In this chapter, I see the Korean Wave as completed, and the diversification of K-pop’s audience—that I refer to as K-pop fandom(s)—as one of its aftermaths. K-pop saw its audience widening to the extent that it is harder to consider it a ‘sub-culture’. It stands out from other cultural elements because it encourages interactions between local and international audiences. ‘K-pop fandom(s)’ embodies a paradox in its audience. On the one hand, it became so diverse that it perpetuated the discourse on a ‘global’ and ‘transnational’ audience. On the other hand, it reinforces an insider-outsider binary created by South Korean fans who are no longer the center of attention. International fans try to follow South Korean fans’ practices to earn respect from the original fans of those K-pop artists. Using internet ethnography and especially Twitter, it will explore how European audiences as an entity of ‘K-pop fandom(s)’ glocalized South Korean fandom culture, and how the power dynamics between European and Korean fans changed over time.