Fans Turn Into Consumer Activists

[unreal.livejournal.com]

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Park Jin-young, president of JYP Entertainment, made an official statement on Sept. 17 to explain his stance regarding Park Jae-beom, the former leader of the uber-popular boy band 2PM. The briefing was an inevitable measure in the face of the aggressive activism from 2PM fans.

It was the band’s loyal fans – who have printed advertisements in newspapers and are threatening to boycott 2PM-related products and items – that pushed him to make a reluctant speech over Jae-beom, who left the band after negative comments he made about Korea four years ago were made public.


However, Park is about to make another big decision as unsatisfied fans are asking him to disclose the singer’s working contract.

The fans also continue to release newspaper advertisements calling for Jae-beom’s reinstatement, in which they allude to a potential boycott of TV and other programs involving 2PM until the music tycoon takes back the member.

The world of fandom is changing rapidly. Gone are the days when they were mere consumers of pop culture. They are now the largest influence in the field, able to “solve the problems on their own.”

This is a long way from the image of fans screaming or crying in front of their favorite stars’ residences.

“They are quite frank about what they want and know how to get it,” online showbiz critic Fiancee said.

“They have realized that they do have power over their stars. They make statements, hold protests and write appealing letters to reporters, industry insiders and others. They are becoming a ‘political power’ in a way,” she said.

A while ago, SM Entertainment, which represents the boy band Super Junior, planned to hire a Chinese member for the band to woo the Chinese market. Consequently, angry fans gathered in front of the headquarters every second Saturday to protest the decision.

The company later withdrew the announcement, saying they “respect the fans, who are the biggest assets to Super Junior.”

Fan clubs are now boycotting SM products because they canceled concerts at which TVXQ was scheduled to appear.

“This is our time to show SM that we are more than passive stance,” a fan said.

This is the case not only with the fans of singers.

When it was announced that the MBC cult hit “Tamnaneundoda” (Tamra, the Island) was wrapping up on Sept. 27, far earlier than the originally planned date of Oct. 11, fans held an online campaign to urge the station to withdraw the decision.

Kim Mi-kyeong, one of the cast members, said in an interview that it was the first time she had felt such intimacy with her fans. “The fans would bring snacks, try to encourage us and make every detail of the drama an issue so that the station could give it a second thought. I never imagined in my life that fans would act to influence a TV drama,” she said.

“This is a new wave of the consumer’s rights movement. They stand for the entertainer’s rights and their own rights against an offensive and cold capitalism,” Kim Seong-su, another culture critic, said.

But in some cases, the depth of the fans’ affection is becoming aggressive and offensive to others.

Fans of G-Dragon, the lead singer of Big Bang, bombarded the Web site of the MBC radio program “Bae Cheol-soo’s Music Camp,” and several others for raising suspicion over the plagiarism.

It was later revealed that his recording company was warned over the issue by Sony Korea.

source: koreatimes

Comments

[sup-homeskillet.livejournal.com]

consumer activists, hm? that is a very diplomatic way of putting it.

still though, interesting article. the fan culture in korea is very bizarre to me, even after years of observing it. it's like a never-ending train wreck that you can't look away from. awesome and terrible.

[diadust.livejournal.com]

IA. Or we see that consumer activists in this case nearly equivalent to fans who thought they can control the lives of celebrities. =(

And my few years of observing, NEVER provoke Korean fans, esp girls, they clawed. =X

[aunts.livejournal.com]

Never underestimate Korean fandom. The bond an artist has with their fans is.....amazing. In a good an not so good way. I know here in America, there's a saying that 'the fans make the celebrity' but over in Asia, South Korea specifically, it just takes on a whole nother meaning. Very interesting indeed.

LOL oh GOD, like we needed to be reminded of the 'Only 13' outrage during 2008. Stocks. Really.

On a side note, I adore the picture of Toho up there. Natural Shinkis FTW. It's been so long since I've seen my OT5.

[shoiryu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and as a result of all this, especially stuff like the Only 13 protests, it really seems like fans feel EVEN MORE that artists owe them or are owned by them in whatever way. I'm glad when fanclubs do positive things for the bands, but mostly, honestly, I think they cause more trouble than they do good when it comes to stuff like this. The Jaebum thing is a good example, too. That kid needs quiet time to sort out his shit, not screaming fans and airplane banners and boycotts of his bandmates and friends.

[familiarplaces.livejournal.com]

ngl, korean fans scare the bejeebers out of me. i admire the fact that they are so dedicated to a certain artist but sometimes it's going a little overboard.

[shoiryu.livejournal.com]

Basically. Kbands are basically already completely owned and controlled by their companies -- they don't need the fans trying to play tug of war for ownership, too.

[aprettyeternity.livejournal.com]

OT but I really like your icon OP.
<3
And on this topic...reminds me of a time where I tried to explain the fan mentality in Korea to one of my irl friends (who is now a fan of kpop! YAY!)...and she doesn't get it. Especially the concept of antis. o.o I don't know...it's just hard to explain and even harder to fathom even when you've been observing it for years. ._.

[aunts.livejournal.com]

It really is hard to explain to others as you keep becoming more observant of it. This is why I really don't talk as much to my friends who just like the music, not the fandom/fans/culture of it all. It's so much to take in, and I'm just too far deep. Sounds odd yes, but true.

[breathe-ai.livejournal.com]

...if only they diverted their energies to something that was actually beneficial to the world. So many problems would be solved if global warm was like threatening to overwork DBSK or some group...or if leopards were Taeyang's extended family.

[smilez4you.livejournal.com]

LOL @ the last part of your comment..but i agree though :P

[microminiscrew.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, I was thinking this exact thing last night. Those Sah Saeng fans mainly. As in, and I say this in all seriousness, if they could transfer that devotion, money, time, strategic thinking, etc. to important problems rather than sitting in a cafe with an idol, I'm pretty sure the world would be in awesome shape.

[oracy.livejournal.com]

“They have realized that they do have power over their stars. They make statements, hold protests and write appealing letters to reporters, industry insiders and others. They are becoming a ‘political power’ in a way,”

i.e, bitches have nothing better to do than mess with people's jobs/lives. Yeah. Productive. Beneficial. Totally.

[seidy.livejournal.com]

It seems K-pop makes people become emotional D:

[majimak-bb.livejournal.com]

if only people cared about their country's economy/government/everything else the way they care about their country's celebrities...

[smilez4you.livejournal.com]

exactly. *shakes head*

[shuyanland.livejournal.com]

i kinda think its cool that these people would fight for what they believe in, but i guess they have to consider the feelings and what these artistes want as well.

[umbrella-smile.livejournal.com]

A while ago, SM Entertainment, which represents the boy band Super Junior, planned to hire a Chinese member for the band to woo the Chinese market. Consequently, angry fans gathered in front of the headquarters every second Saturday to protest the decision.\

Wait wut? They DO have a Chinese member. Are they sure they aren't referring to the time TVXQ was going to get a Chinese member?

[beauty0fparting.livejournal.com]

i think it should've been "another Chinese member"..

[unreal.livejournal.com]

I think they might talk about Henry or Zhou Mi

[beauty0fparting.livejournal.com]

i think they are. and i think i should stop saying 'i think'.

[shoiryu.livejournal.com]

They're talking about Henry and the godawful Only 13 protests.

[beauty0fparting.livejournal.com]

hmmm... i dunno... i mean it has its ups and downs...

up being having such a strong industry.. SK is making a LOT of money because of this... if it weren't for the batshit fans who would notice them? if it weren't for the dedicated fans, who would sub the variety shows we watch? so maybe psycho fans do have advantages except for, well, they're psycho.

[speakoslow.livejournal.com]

I admire Kpop fans for their devotion to their idols (ex. SNSD fans donating $ to people in need for the girls' birthdays) BUT i believe that there is a line that the fans should not cross. They should not have the power to dictate what a celeb does with his/her life nor should they have the power to change scripts. Fans should let the celebs & people within the entertainment business do what they are paid to do cause i mean that's what they are paid to do. For example Boys Over Flowers. Could have been such a good drama but the writers/producers/directors were trying to please the fans so much with all the complaining that at the end they ended up with a CRAP drama. There was too much of trying to please the fans that they forgot all about the actual drama.

[star-hime.livejournal.com]

For example Boys Over Flowers. Could have been such a good drama but the writers/producers/directors were trying to please the fans so much with all the complaining that at the end they ended up with a CRAP drama.

Really?! I havn't watch the drama yet(I'm alittle late about the whole BOF), but wow I can't believe the crew change the whole drama for the fans. D:

[speakoslow.livejournal.com]

Yeah it was pretty much a hot mess with confusion as to why scenes were put in. I suggest only watch it when you seriously have nothing to do. lol.

[mighty-orange.livejournal.com]

Ooh That's interesting. What did they change because of the fans?

[speakoslow.livejournal.com]

Well i'll just point out the obvious. Just before anyone gets defensive, these are my opinions based off of the complaints I heard from Korean fans and then what I saw as a result.

The fans wanted more of Kim Hyun Joong, so what we got was his character and Jandi, episodes 13-24 were all Jandi and KHJ...there were way more scenes of those two together than of Jandi and JunPyo. By the end of the drama it was really up in the air as to who she was going to end up with because the audience knew KHJ's character almost as much as LeeMinHo and Jandi and KHJ's character together was much more developed than the main couples'. And because so much time was devoted to that story, there was really no development into why Jandi fell in love with JunPyo.

Fans wanted more of KimBum's story. That's what we got. So much of their story that this little side story even dragged more than the main couple's story. There were plenty of episodes where they got more airtime as a couple than the two main.

Fans wanted more screen time for each character. Poor WooBin barely had any scenes which was fine because the other 2 versions barely gave him any airtime. BUT because fans wanted more, we got that really silly out of place 10 minute scene of WooBin being all emo and suicidal. What was the purpose of that scene?? The writers gave us no answer.

There were so many unnecessary scenes in the drama that it got really confusing.
I remember while the drama was airing fans complaining and complaining and the next thing we knew, what they complained about was fixed on the next few episodes. So it felt like the writers were writing the script to please the fans more than to make a complete coherent drama I mean, in my opinion it was a HOT MESS. I know that BOF is not the first nor is it the last to change scripts to please fans. For example, I believe the drama was "Honestly" or something, the lead male character didn't even get the girl at the end because fans liked the lead girl's story with the side character more so the people in charge changed the ending to what the fans that had spoken wanted.

[tyreling.livejournal.com]

... oh. This makes a lot of sense about the BOF changes.

[scherzi.livejournal.com]

In the K-Pop fandom, everything is srs biznass.

[she-devil666.livejournal.com]

“They have realized that they do have power over their stars. They make statements, hold protests and write appealing letters to reporters, industry insiders and others. They are becoming a ‘political power’ in a way,” she said. it really shouldn't be this way. i don't care if they are fans or not, they should not have that much power, ever.

i wish they'd grow a pair and put these bitches in their place which is them not having their grubby little hands all over what the artists (and companies) can and can't do.

[vanillacat.livejournal.com]

But it's not a GOOD thing that they're so powerful.

For celebrities (and their companies) to be so at the mercy of fans... democracy is one thing, but the mob rule is another.

[almosthello.livejournal.com]

“They have realized that they do have power over their stars. They make statements, hold protests and write appealing letters to reporters, industry insiders and others. They are becoming a ‘political power’ in a way,” she said.

thats really sickening to hear tbqh... i mean sure, the idols care about the fans and things, but why are they letting them get away with some of the batshit things they do? i don't even need to put an example in here. someone needs to set some kind of line that can't be crossed, because i'd like to be able to stay in the fandom without so much drama =/

makes me wonder what celebrities over here would be like if fans had that much power D:

[beanii.livejournal.com]

The first company to take their own stand against the craziness of the fans
Will be my love.

I believe it sucks when as a kid you had a dream of pursuing music, but when you finally get the chance too you can't because people are running you like your a machine.

[lovely-tatsuha.livejournal.com]

I will never let people control me or my work or company
I’m so happy I’m not korean

[dragonflycoca.livejournal.com]

I find this kind of interesting.
I think companies should fear fans and what they are capable of doing

[glasstonepearls.livejournal.com]

there's a showbiz critic called fiancee?

[ichlibedi-an.livejournal.com]

just, WOW....