K-pop Idols Research Articles

The Internal Causes of Pressure and Anxiety in the Living Environment of K-pop Idols

K-pop idols play a crucial role in South Korea’s cultural and economic development, with numerous new groups emerging annually. They present a polished image that promotes the country, but behind this facade lies significant mental health distress. This paper aims to analyze the long-term mental health issues faced by K-pop idols, highlighting the need for increased awareness and intervention to address these challenges. The study employs case analysis to investigate this issue. Reviewing historical materials and news reports identifies numerous instances of extreme behavior by idols suffering from mental illness. The paper focuses on a particularly representative case, detailing how intense industry pressures and personal struggles culminated in the idol’s suicide. Further analysis of various cases reveals two primary causes of mental health issues among K-pop idols. This study aims to shed light on the harsh realities faced by K-pop idols and advocates for greater attention to their mental health, hoping to mitigate the severe consequences of this ongoing issue.

K-Pop Idol Controversies: Malaysian Tweets and the Emotive Language of Cultural Appropriation

This study aims to analyze the use of emotive language in Malaysian tweets reacting to the cultural appropriation by K-Pop idols. As K-Pop grows globally, cultural sensitivity within the industry becomes crucial. Twitter serves as a key platform for idols to engage with fans, and Malaysia's cultural values shape how user express emotions, particularly in response to cultural appropriation by idols from more homogeneous societies. A qualitative content analysis was employed, examining 20 tweets from Malaysian users to explore emotive language and its connection to cultural values. The analysis followed the framework by Martin and White (2005), revealing that all tweets expressed negative emotions in response to appropriation. Additionally, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions were applied to understand how Malaysian cultural values influence the use of emotive language. The findings suggest that strong cultural pride and sensitivity play significant roles in shaping these reactions. This study aims to reduce incidents of cultural appropriation by enhancing cultural awareness among K-Pop idols and the industry. Furthermore, it contributes to the broader discourse on the intersection of cultural values and emotive language in addressing issues of appropriation within global entertainment cultures like K-Pop.

Cultural imperialism of the Korean Wave and its impact on Thai society

As the Korean Wave in Thailand continues to gain sensational popularity, along with the development of the Korean Wave, the negative influence of the Korean Wave in Thailand has also been highlighted. The beauty of Korean-style whitening provides a new symbol of beauty in Thailand, and the desire to unconsciously imitate Korean beauty can be said to have political implications that go beyond simply personal desires and superficial issues. This research analyzes how the whitewashing of K-pop as a cultural imperialist element of the Korean Wave is affecting Thai society. Specifically, in-depth interviews were conducted with Thai Korean Wave fans who envy K-pop idols. Based on the interview results, it analyzed Thai beauty standards and perceptions of whitewashing that have become typical through K-pop and the political meaning of the stereotypical beauty standard of “white skin” and its influence on Thai society.

Description of Differences in Sexual Desire in Female Fujoshi Kpop Fans in Indonesia Based on Age

In recent years, people's interest in the Korean wave phenomenon has increased. This can be seen from the large number of people, especially young people, who are fans of this Kpop idol. The majority of Kpop fans are dominated by women. Most of these female Kpop fans are also fujohi. Fujoshi is a term for women who like relationships with men. From this phenomenon, fans claim that viewing fujoshi-related content can increase their sexual desire. Therefore, the aim of this research is to see a picture of the differences in Sexual Desire or sexual desire in female fujoshi kpop fans when viewed in terms of age, namely teenagers and adults. This research is quantitative research with a descriptive method carried out on 92 respondents. Data analysis in this study used the homogeneity test and the Mann Whitney U-test. The results obtained are that the significance value in the homogeneity test shows the number 0.078, which means the data in this study is homogeneous. In the Mann Whitney U-test, the significance value was 0.000 with a mean rank for adolescents of 28.02 and for adults of 64.98. This means that there are differences in the variables in the research data.

Dramaturgical Analysis of Role-players on Telegram

K-Pop (Korean Pop) culture is very popular among Indonesian people, especially children and teenagers. One of the impacts of the popularity of K-Pop is the emergence of role-play accounts. Role-play is a make-believe game that requires players to imitate a K-pop idol. Someone who plays role-play will be called a role-player. We aimed to analyze the differences between how a role-player act in the role-play world and the real world. This research focuses on Telegram role-players. We applied a qualitative netnographic research design and used a dramaturgical theory as a research approach. The results of this study showed that the role-players used Telegram as their front stages where they managed the impressions according to the role-play personas they chose. In addition, the results of this research showed that the direct message features of the role-players’ Telegram accounts are used as their middle stages while the backstage is their real life. The results suggest that each role-player has a different character from their role-play persona, showing the distinctive differences among the front stage, the middle stage and the backstage.

The intersection of “real” and “reel”: An investigation of K-pop idol dual self-presentation, paid advertisements, and fan engagement

K-pop idols meticulously manage their public image on social media by blending aspects of professional and personal self-presentation, occasionally incorporating paid advertisements. This research aims to investigate these strategies on idols’ personal Instagram accounts and their impacts on fans. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, a content analysis of the ten most recent Instagram posts from 26 K-pop idols revealed a combination of both self-presentation types with a slightly higher prevalence of personal one. One-fourth of the posts contained paid advertisements, and they were more prevalent in professional self-presentation. Posts featuring personal self-presentation garnered significantly more likes and comments, and so did posts without paid advertisements. Study 2, an online experiment with 240 Korean Instagram users, compared professional and personal self-presentation with and without paid advertisement. The results showed that paid advertisement significantly influenced perceptions of the idol, diminishing perceived authenticity, professionalism, and para-social relationship. In contrast, professional self-presentation heightened only perceived professionalism compared to personal self-presentation. Engagement intentions did not significantly differ between self-presentation types but were lowered by paid advertisement indirectly through reduced perceived para-social relationship. This research highlights the complex dynamics of online self-presentation, fan engagement, and the potential drawbacks of commercialization in K-pop.

K-pop Fandom’s affective role in shaping knowledge of gender and sexuality among LGBTQ+ fans in Australia and the Philippines

Drawing on interviews with 17 K-pop fans from Australia and the Philippines who identity as LGBTQ+, this article explores and theorizes the role of K-pop fandom in the production of knowledge concerning gender and sexuality. Through an analytical approach sensitive to the affective discourse produced by fans, this article establishes that K-pop fandom operates as a queer space which normalizes queer sexuality and gendered performance through the production of feelings of security, attraction, and relief. Further, analysis of the LGBTQ + fans’ discourse uncovers that the androgynous gendered performances of K-pop idols facilitate fans’ queering of heteropatriarchal and heteronormative ideologies.

Evolving yet contentious transcultural fanscapes: Peruvian fans’ accounts of K-pop and its fandoms

Global fans’ engagement with K-pop (South Korean pop music) demonstrates how audiences’ daily lives and identities are interwoven with transcultural media. This study explores how global K-pop fan cultures have evolved along with the genre’s expansion overseas, with particular reference to Peruvian fans in the Global South context. Drawing on Peruvian fans’ accounts of the global K-pop fanscapes – the universes experienced and mediated through fan practices, the study addresses the complexities, negotiations, and conflicts in audience engagement with transcultural media. By examining how K-pop fans in a distant locale imaginarily identify with K-pop idols and interact with other global fans and non-fans, the study reveals that local fans may realize their identity in the global fanscapes while being aware of power relations that operate between different audiences.

The Colonial Era and Beyond

This paper explores the historical and cultural evolution of Korean music from the Japanese colonial period to the contemporary K-pop industry. It examines the impact of Japanese colonial policies on Korean cultural identity and how traditional Korean music served as a form of resistance. Following liberation, American influences significantly shaped the Korean music scene, leading to the emergence of K-pop. The paper discusses the role of early K-pop groups and solo acts, including their strategic entry into the Japanese market. It also highlights the political and economic tensions between Korea and Japan, exemplified by controversies involving K-pop idols. The study underscores the intertwined nature of politics, culture, and history in shaping the global success of K-pop, while also reflecting on the enduring effects of colonialism and international relations on Korean popular music.

Discourse Analysis: Adjacency Pairs in Selected Korean Englishman YouTube Video

This research focuses to analyze adjacency pairs in the selected Korean Englishman YouTube Video titled “K-Pop Idol NCT Johnny fed us luxury Korean Beef BBQ!” using Yule’s (1996) theory. This study is using the qualitative descriptive method to analyze the data. From the conversation uttered by speakers, there are some patterns that they automatically produced, called adjacency pairs. The adjacency pairs occur when two or more people talk and respond to each other’s questions. Based on the analysis, there are 25 adjacency pairs; (15) Question–Answer, (1) Command–Compliance, (1) Request–Acceptance, (1) Offer–Acceptance, (5) Assessment–Agreement, (2) Suggestion–Acceptance that were found in the conversation between Johnny, Josh, and Ollie in the Korean Englishman YouTube video titled “K-Pop Idol NCT Johnny fed us luxury Korean Beef BBQ!”. From all the data found in this study, the functions of utterances are in accordance with each type of adjacency pair thus conclude that adjacency pairs are automatic sequences of two utterances produced by two speakers with the second utterances conversing about the first utterance. Key Words: Adjacency Pairs, Conversation Analysis, Discourse Analysis

How K-pop Fans Utilize Conventional and Subcultural Frameworks to Construct Fan Identities: A Case Study of Seungri and the Burning Sun Scandal

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine how fans on social media platforms manage their identities when faced with moral dilemmas in which their self-images and parasocial relations with idols are jeopardized. In particular, we explore how fans use social identification and deviant labeling as strategies to position themselves as distinct but not deviant cultural consumers. We choose a particular case of stigmatization within the Korean pop culture context – the Burning Sun Scandal involving Korean idol Seungri – to demonstrate this process. Drawing on concepts from social identity, subcultures, and deviance scholarship, we show how fans involved in discussions about the Burning Sun scandal explicitly linked themselves to conventional and/or subcultural moral and behavioral norms, while altercasting fans who expressed differing opinions regarding the idol’s guilt versus innocence. Through the analysis of fans’ identity claims, this study provides insights into how fans manage positive self-identification against a backdrop of media discourses in which the moral reputations of celebrity idols are called into question.

Influence of fan loyalty on fans' behavior of purchasing products endorsed by idolized idol' brands

Celebrity endorsement is a commonly used marketing method, since the 1980s, most companies have chosen celebrity endorsement, celebrity endorsement in today's era of the full outbreak of celebrity endorsement can be seen everywhere by different brands. Not only that, along with the Internet access to the entertainment industry, the development of fan culture, but also because of the development of fan culture, followed by the generation of "fan economy",: fan economy "in today's market is a force that cannot be ignored. The loyalty of the fans to the celebrities included in the fan economy is an important criterion for the development of the fan economy. This paper only takes star loyalty as the research objective to study its influence on fans' behavior of purchasing products endorsed by idol brands. This paper uses a questionnaire to conduct a survey, and the respondents are all fans of the Korean idol group NCT. Behavioral loyalty and attitudinal loyalty are studied, and finally, it is concluded that fan loyalty has an impact but not a correlation on fans' behavior of purchasing idol brand endorsement products.

The Meaning of Emoticon Used by K-Pop Fans

K-pop has influenced people globally. The fans of K-pop idols are everywhere. The news about k-pop idols is usually swarmed by emoticon. The emoticon is used to enhance the message to their idols. Emoticon is chosen to enhance the meaning since the popularity of emoticon is increased. This study was conducted to explore the meaning of the emoticon used by the k-pop fans. There are 150 comments using emoticon analysed which were taken from the Instagram. The data were analysed using the semiotics from Roland Barthes. This semiotics theory was chosen since the analysis went to finding the myth of the emoticon used. The result of this study is the emoticon used shows how close the relationship is between the k-pop fans and their idol. It is shown on most of the emoticon used are related to love, kiss, and hug which means k-pop fans see their idol as someone they love the most and always root for them. The result of this study supports the idea that k-pop fans often indulge in the romantic fantasy with their idols.

The Development of South Korean Idol Culture and Its Global Influence: Take TVXQ as an example

This paper studies the development process of Korean idol culture taking “Tong Vfang Xien Qi” (TVXQ) as an example, aiming to reveal the reasons for the development of idol culture and its impact on the world economy. The paper further analyzes its successful models for the development of related industries in China. This study establishes the general direction of the research based on the literature of previous studies and collects relevant data to discuss about this relevant topic. It finally draws a conclusion, which includes the following research results. First, the economic value of Korean idol groups is high; Second, the support of the Korean government is strong; and last, the industrial chain of Korean idol culture is complete and radiates the world economy. The conclusion further illustrates the significance of the above conclusions for China. At the same time, the study argues that relying solely on the current situation of China’s idol culture industry is not enough to support further development and further calls to learn from the experiences of South Korea.

변증법적 발전 과정으로 바라보는 K-POP 아이돌 트렌드 변화 과정 -1세대부터 4세대 아이돌을 중심으로-

변증법적 발전 과정으로 바라보는 K-POP 아이돌 트렌드 변화 과정 -1세대부터 4세대 아이돌을 중심으로-

Glamour & Faith: How Korean Idol Brand Ambassador and Religiosity influence Luxury Goods Purchase Intentions?

ABSTRACT This research aims to investigate the purchase intention of Muslim Kpop fans towards luxury products promoted by Kpop idols as brand ambassadors. The study employs a quantitative method with the SEM-PLS approach to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. It involves 117 respondents selected through purposive sampling criteria of being Muslim Kpop fans in East Java. The research data consists of primary data obtained from questionnaires using a modified Likert 4-point format. The findings indicate that Kpop brand ambassadors significantly impact the attitudes of Muslim consumers and their intention to purchase luxury goods. While religious knowledge level weakens but not significantly, and price sensitivity does not weaken the intention of Muslim consumers to purchase luxury goods. The implications of this research expand the understanding of the dynamics of behavior among Muslim Kpop consumers regarding luxury products promoted by Kpop idols as brand ambassadors. Despite Islamic prohibitions on extravagance (tabdzir) and excessive behavior (israf) not directly reducing the purchase intention of Muslim Kpop consumers for luxury goods, it demonstrates the complexity of factors influencing their purchase decisions. Marketers can also utilize the findings of this research in planning marketing strategies, especially targeting millennial and Gen Z consumers. Keywords: luxury brand, Kpop, purchase intention, religiosity ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui niat para penggemar kpop Muslim dalam membeli produk mewah yang dipromosikan oleh idol Kpop sebagai brand ambassador. Penelitian menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan pendekatan SEM-PLS untuk menganalisis data dan menguji hipotesis yang diajukan. Penelitian ini melibatkan 117 responden serta menggunakan purposive sampling yang memiliki kriteria yaitu seorang kpopers Muslim di Jawa Timur. Data penelitian berupa data primer yang didapatkan dari hasil kuesioner dengan menggunakan format likert yang dimodifikasi menjadi Likert 4 poin. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Kpop brand ambassador memiliki dampak positif signifikan terhadap sikap konsumen Muslim dan niat untuk membeli barang mewah. Tingkat pengetahuan agama melemahkan namun tidak signifikan, dan sensitivitas terhadap harga tidak melemahkan niat konsumen Muslim untuk membeli barang mewah. Implikasi penelitian ini adalah memperluas pemahaman tentang dinamika perilaku konsumen kpop Muslim terkait dengan produk mewah yang dipromosikan oleh idol Kpop sebagai brand ambassador. Meskipun larangan Islam terhadap pemborosan (tabdzir) dan perilaku berlebihan (israf) tidak secara langsung mengurangi niat konsumen Kpop Muslim untuk membeli barang mewah, hal ini menunjukkan kompleksitas faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi keputusan pembelian mereka. Para pemasar juga dapat menggunakan hasil penelitian ini dalam merencanakan strategi pemasaran, terutama untuk menargetkan generasi milenial dan z sebagai konsumen mereka. Kata Kunci: luxury brand, Kpop, niat membeli, religiusitas

Relasi Parasosial pada Perempuan Dewasa Awal Penggemar Idola K-Pop

Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest number of K-Pop fans in the world with the most fans from young women. K-Pop idol devotees can feel that their idol is attached to them to form a parasocial relationship. Parasocial relationship is a one-way and pseudo relationship that is formed between a character or celebrity and the audience or fans. This study aims to obtain an overview of the parasocial relationships of early adult female K-Pop idol worshipers in Indonesia and the influence on their developmental tasks. Participants in this study were six young adult women who had parasocial relationships with one or more K-Pop idols. This study used a qualitative approach, with the data collection process through semi-structured interviews and using thematic analysis methods to process the data. The results of the study showed that all participants had a parasocial relationship with idol figures. The parasocial relationships that are formed have an impact on their developmental tasks, namely social relations, their perspectives towards problems and coping strategy. Even so, all participants can understand reasonable limits as well as the positive and negative impacts that are felt so they don't overdo it.

Peran Idola K-Pop Seventeen Dalam Meningkatkan Self-Esteem Dan Self-Forgiveness Pada Mahasiswi Usia Dewasa

Confidence is an important element in the development of self-esteem and self-forgiveness. This study aims to reveal the role of K-pop idol Seventeen in the formation of self-esteem and self-forgiveness among young adult female students. This research method is a literature review or library study that involves reading and examining various journals, books, and various other published manuscripts related to the research topic in order to create an article on a particular topic or issue. Research shows that the content on Seventeen's YouTube channel can increase self-confidence and reduce levels of depression in young adult female students. We conclude that the feeling of well-being that occurs after viewing Seventeen's content can increase a person's self-confidence and subsequently foster self-esteem and self-forgiveness in young adult students. This reduces the intensity of depression and self-harm. Even suicidal thoughts can be removed.

Fenomena Hubungan Parasosial Penggemar dan Idol K-Pop dalam Penggunaan Aplikasi Weverse

The K-Wave phenomenon that swept the world is certainly still being felt today. Assisted by the development of social media that is getting bigger and bigger in demand because of its features that make distance more meaningless. So this research will examine the parasocial relationship between fans and K-Pop idol TREASURE on the Weverse application which is popular among K-Pop fans. The application is supported by various features that allow fans to exchange information and messages with idols and even other TREASURE fans. TREASURE often replies to its fans through Weverse randomly or for lucky fans. Fans finally feel an interaction when using the application even though only fan representatives are replied to by TREASURE members. Other fans also feel the interpersonal communication between themselves and their idols. This can be called a parasocial relationship, which is a one-way relationship felt by fans. Where this research aims to see, describe, and analyse how the phenomenon of parasocial relationships between TREASURE MAKERS in Samarinda and TREASURE in using the Weverse application. Using the classification of levels of parasocial relationships and Social Information Processing theory as supporting arguments when the research results are found. Then this research has a qualitative descriptive type by showing the research results that the phenomenon of parasocial relationships between TREASURE MAKER and TREASURE fans has passed all three levels, namely Entertainment Social Value, Intense Personal Feeling, and Borderline Pathological so that in theory the SIP informants in this study show an extraordinary feeling of closeness to their idols through the help of the Weverse application.

DOUBLE STANDARDS IN HATE COMMENTS AGAINST K-POP ARTISTS: PRAGMATICS STUDY

This study aims to describe the forms of double standards in hate comments against K-POP artists found on Instagram. This research used a descriptive qualitative approach, which refers to research methods that produce descriptive data using a pragmatic approach. The data was collected from the most followed K-POP pages on Instagram in Indonesia: @fyi.korea, @officialkvibes, and @coppamagz. The objects of this study are the hate comments found on these Instagram pages. The theory used to analyze the data was speech act theory, which consists of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary. This was followed by the identification of double standards. Pragmatic coding specifically targets linguistic patterns that indicate double standards. Based on the results of observations on these sites, it was found that some of the data included hate comments aimed at several K-pop idols. The results of the study indicate that the topics that receive the most hate comments were related to dating scandals, the sexy appearance of K-Pop artists, and the physical appearance and visual aspects. Based on the results, the double standard towards the involved K-POP artists is glaringly obvious. It can be concluded that there were two main factors that contribute to this double standard: gender and popularity. In terms of gender, female K-POP artists are criticized and receive hate comments more often than their male counterparts. Meanwhile, in terms of popularity, K-POP artists who are more popular tend to receive more hate comments than those who are less popular.