Gwyn Althea Bernardo MuL 13 THXMuEd6

2014-58376 May 19, 2016

K-Pop in the Philippine Spectrum: Fan Participation and Reception

I have been a K-Pop fan since 2009. I can still remember it was the year when K-Pop
was finally making its imprint in the contemporary Filipino music scene. Super Juniors Sorry
Sorry and Wonder Girls Nobody were the first K-Pop songs that caught my attention. I was
even more interested in the genre because of the vibrant and colorful music videos and the
synchronized choreography of the different K-Pop acts. After witnessing how much the K-Pop
fandoms have grown in the Philippines, analyzing how the fan culture works in the country
piqued my interest.

Korean Pop also known as K-Pop did not have a very long history. After the Western
culture blended with the Korean culture since its arrival in the 1950s, K-Pop came into
prominence in the 1990s. This genre was further popularized by what we now call idols.

According to Oak and Park (2013), idol groups combine Western and Eastern sounds,
perfectly in-sync choreography, and fashion choices which have all helped K-pop stand out
among other genres. The formation of idol groups further flourished when Seo Taiji and Boys
became popular after debuting in 1992. Entertainment companies saw this as an opportunity
to gain profits, thus they started training determined talents to become next generation K-Pop
idols.

In the Philippines, K-Pop slowly gained popularity soon after Koreanovelas started

airing in 2003. Through Hallyu () or the Korean Wave, the Philippine K-Pop scene has

become a full-blown culture on its own (Capili, 2014). The growth of K-pop in the Philippines
can be described as unique (Hicap, 2009), considering there were no official promotions done
in the country by any idol group. Despite this, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls Generation, Wonder
Girls, Big Bang, and 2NE1 were already some of the most notable idol acts in the country.

The Internet became the main factor for the unceasing popularity of K-Pop in the
country. Filipino fans can easily access Korean music, dramas, and even reality shows. Filipino
meme pages for different K-Pop acts even exist nowadays. Cyberspace also became a venue
for many international fans to communicate with Korean fans. Through this, Filipino fans were
able to set up local fan clubs such as Cassiopeia Philippines (TVXQ), Super Junior United
Philippines and Girls Generation Philippines. Moreover, Patrick Capili (2014) expounded that

It is both interesting and important to note that in the Philippines, there is a non-profit
K-Pop organization, duly registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission, and
recognized by the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korean Cultural Center. The
Philippine K-Pop Committee, Inc. is the first and biggest of its kind and was founded
in 2009. It is a conglomerate of 60 different K-Pop fan clubs, two of the biggest being
Super Junior United and Cassiopeia PH.

Idol groups now also use the internet to have more interactions with fans. V-Live or V-
App is a popular online platform that lets fans watch personal live broadcasts by celebrities.
Idols use this platform to further communicate with fans about what they do on a daily basis.

Since the establishment of local fan clubs, fans are able to organize fan gatherings. Fans
meet regularly to talk about fan projects for an upcoming concert, celebrate an idols birthday
or a groups anniversary, or just personally spazz over their favorite idols also known as bias.
Fan gatherings are usually small-scale unlike K-Pop conventions arranged by official
organizations and notable production companies like Philippine K-Pop Committee, Inc. and
PULP Live World Productions. Since K-Pop conventions are in a larger scale, a lot of activities
await the fans. Some of these activities are the selling of official merchandise, raffling of
concert tickets, and cosplaying of idol group members.

K-Pop dance cover festivals or competitions are another approach for fans to express
their admiration for their favorite idol groups. Dance cover groups have to learn the
choreography of a particular song, consist of the same number of members as the original idol
group, and replicate the costume and gestures of the idol group as accurately as possible. Se-
Eon, EXOTIX, and SHINers are few of the locally and internationally acclaimed Filipino dance
cover groups. Se-Eon is known for having BTS dance covers. The group is also popular for
having two Pinoy K-Pop Star titles, one ASEAN Festival Dance Cover Competition title, and
one K-pop ASEAN Dance Cover Festival. EXOTIX, on the other hand, is popular for their
EXO dance covers. The group just had their 100th performance last August 23, 2015, albeit
they did not even intend to form a cover group. Lastly, SHINers is a SHINee dance cover group.
They are popular for representing the Philippines on the international stages like South Korea
and Indonesia. The group also boasts twelve championships under their belt.

Fan meetings are also what fans look forward to. Fans get to meet their favorite idols
up close and get their autographs as well. Idols usually prepare fan services during these events,
like taking pictures with fans, hugging the fans, shaking hands, and playing games with them.
Idols also perform their hit songs during fan meetings. GOT7 and BEAST are the groups that
recently graced their Filipino fans with their talents and charms through fan meetings. GOT7
held their first fan meeting in the Philippines last November 14, 2015 at the Smart Araneta
Coliseum. BamBam, the groups Thai member and often nicknamed as the king of fan service,
prepared a special rendition of Ronnie Liangs Ngiti. Tickets to fan meetings also come at a
hefty price.

Concerts are the highlight of ones fan experience. Fans get to see their favorite idols
perform live on stage. During concerts, fans usually prepare cheer banners, fan chants, and
gifts. Idols also prepare more fan service during concerts. One popular fan service done by
idols is to greet fans in their native language. Most idols usually greet Filipino fans by saying
Mabuhay Philippines! or Mahal ko kayo, raising the kilig factor for the fans. According
to Perez (2014), some concerts are not exclusive to one artist only; there are also group concerts.
The Big Three of the entertainment companies in South Korea usually hold the SM Town,
YG Family and JYP Nation concerts. However, the most notable group concerts in the country
are the Dream K-Pop Fantasy Concert last February 2, 2014, and Best of K-Pop Concert last
April 12, 2015. These concerts featured different idol groups coming from different companies
instead of the usual format done by the Big Three. It is at these events that fans can truly have
the ultimate K-Pop experience (Perez, 2014).

Aside from showing their undying support for their favorite K-Pop acts, Filipino fan
clubs also give back to the community by organizing philanthropic events. Gawad Kalinga
Foundation has been receiving a portion of the Philippine K-Pop conventions annual earnings.
Former U-Kiss member Xander Eusebio and KNation 2013 brought in donations for the
victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). TVXQs local fan club Cassiopeia Philippines also
organize Dong Bang Day, a charity volunteer work at Philippine Animal Welfare Society
(PAWS) and Gawad Kalinga. Some fan clubs pool money from their members and donate it to
a local charity in their idols name (Capili, 2014).
 Despite all the good things that transpire within the Philippine K-Pop community, there
also a handful of issues that surround K-Pop fans. One noteworthy issue is the devotedness of

some fans that it can almost be considered as obsession. Some sasaeng fans ()

obsessive fans invade idols privacy by hacking their personal accounts in social networking
sites, some stalk their idols wherever they go, and some also harass other celebrities when these
celebrities are romantically linked with their bias. Taeyeon, the leader of Koreas number one
girl group Girls Generation, was criticized by EXO-Ls (EXOs official fan club) after SM
Entertainment (agency of both Girls Generation and EXO) confirmed her relationship with
EXOs Baekhyun. Sasaengs would leave hurtful comments in her Instagram posts ever since
the confirmation of their relationship. An Australian model, Lily May Mac, also became the
center of criticisms when EXOs Chanyeol followed her on Instagram.

Another issue that surround fans is fandom wars. Some fandom wars exist between
fandoms of K-Pop acts while some exist between a K-Pop act and a foreign act. After T-Aras
fandom, Queens, won Billboards Fan Army face-off, Directioners (fans of the British boy
band, One Direction) were displeased with the result and tweeted their disappointment.
Directioners accused fans for cheating with the voting. It soon became an all-out war between
the whole K-Pop community and the Directioners. Some fans of the popular British act were
being so rude after making fun of a K-Pop idols death while some K-Pop fans were being rude
as well after calling Zayn, the former Muslim member of the group, a terrorist. Filipino boy
group, Chicser, also received backlash from the K-Pop community after their alleged
plagiarism of EXOs trademark greeting surfaced online, and after fans found a video of
Chicser singing to Super Juniors Mr. Simple but they were dancing to Sorry Sorry.

The Philippine K-Pop fandom scene has truly become a rich aspect of our youth culture
(Capili, 2014). Filipino fans do not get to support their idols but they also get to do meaningful
acts for the community. Although sometimes fans are involved with disturbing issues, the K-
Pop community in the Philippines still deserves to be applauded for continuing to thrive in the
local music scene despite and forming a whole new culture in the local music scene. Moreover,
according to Capili (2014),

Let this be a call for other scholars, both here and abroad to consider research on these
areas and so many other very interesting issues on the phenomenon that is K-Pop, or in
the bigger picture, the Korean wave.
Let us all work to strengthen Hallyus place as a legitimate area of Korean Studies and
as a vehicle to foster closer relations between Filipinos and Koreans, as what we, the
conference organizers, wish to attain in this gathering.
References
Capili, P. M. (2014). Painting the Scenario of Filipino K-pop Fan Culture . The Hallyu
Mosaic in the Philippines: Framing Perceptions and Praxis (pp. 35-47). Quezon City:
Ateneo de Manila University.
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