K-pop Fandom(s): Divergent Understandings of Narrated Authenticity

Abstract

K-pop, or Korean pop music, has become a global phenomenon in recent years, with fans worldwide who are passionate about the music, the idols, and the culture surrounding it. Yet, despite its popularity, K-pop remains understudied in academic research, particularly in Korean Studies. This Ph.D. project aims to fill this gap by investigating how K-pop fan communities interpret and engage with K-pop in different ways, both online and offline.

This study revolves around “authenticity” in K-pop — a concept heavily promoted by entertainment companies that produce and market K-pop idols, but one that fans constantly reinterpret and contest. To explore these issues, the project draws from area studies, gender studies, and ethnomusicology, as well as methods from digital humanities, including online and offline ethnographic research, participant observation, and interviews with K-pop fans and professionals from South Korea and around the world.

A central argument is that conflicting understandings of what constitutes “authentic” K-pop are shaped by factors such as national identity, language, gender, and cultural background. Furthermore, the concept of authenticity itself is constantly evolving, contested, and “narrated” within fan communities — hence the title.

Main Objectives

Separate K-pop from the Outdated Framework of the Korean Wave

The Korean Wave, also known as Hallyu, refers to the global popularity of South Korean culture. In academia, the terms “Korean Wave” and K-pop have been used interchangeably, yet K-pop stands out because it encourages interaction between local and international audiences in ways that other Hallyu products do not. This project challenges existing literature that takes this conflation for granted.

Relocate K-pop as an Object of Study in Korean Studies

Korean fans have “othered” international fans, creating a hierarchical perception of fans outside Korea depending on their commitment to idols and adherence to Korean idol fandom culture norms. This project examines those power dynamics and situates K-pop as a relevant object of study dealing with issues pertinent to the Korean context, such as Korean nationalism and Korea’s position in globalization.

Explore a Broader Theoretical Contribution Between K-pop and Authenticity

There is a paradox between K-pop being inherently difficult to define and how its growing popularity brings up debate on what is “authentically” K-pop. This project complicates how this authority is “narrated” throughout the fandom through the relationship between Korean and international fans, building a bridge between Fan Studies, Korean Studies, and Area Studies through the flexible theoretical concept of authenticity.