South Korea is home to one of the fastest-rising music genres of the century. K-pop has grown into a cultural phenomenon, and I have ridden the ‘Hallyu Wave’ (the rise of Korean entertainment, food, and culture) for over eight years after getting into K-pop music and videos in middle school. Truthfully, K-pop is the main reason for my interest in South Korea. Now that I’m here in this endearing country, let me tell you what it’s like living in Seoul as a K-pop stan.
Advertisements
Like most major metropolitan cities, Seoul is full of advertisements; billboards, flyers, digital screens, and posters are everywhere. The Subway is particularly aggressive, showcasing K-pop idols doing anything that will activate their fans, from birthday ads to comebacks and group anniversaries. Large digital screens feature idols’ faces and a cute message from one of their fan clubs declaring their love and support. Smaller screens do the same, displaying an idol for a shorter run. Even posters are plastered all over the stations. Running into these supportive ads for idols daily never fails to make me smile.
A birthday ad for Bang Chan of Stray Kids in Hongdae Station!Cafés
I’m fascinated by big-city life in Seoul and the abundance of themed cafés and restaurants. I had seen countless examples of pop-up cafés on social media, particularly Instagram, and put them on my to-do list. Although I had visited a K-pop pop-up back home—an ATEEZ comeback cup-sleeve event in Houston hosted by a friend—I wanted to see what varieties Korea had to offer. Here, I’ve seen all kinds of events held at multiple locations all over Seoul, each one with its own personality.
Birthday cafés seem to be the most popular, with café decor featuring the group or idol they are celebrating and their music playing over the sound system. However, the primary reason for the visit is the merchandise you receive with a set menu purchase. This might include a drink, a cookie, a cup sleeve (or decorated cup/bottle), and multiple photo cards. My favorite bonus is landing a cool poster!
One of many birthday cafés my friends went to for Jake of Enhypen.Concerts
The most exciting part of being a K-pop stan in Korea is the concert scene. Although I’ve attended a few K-pop concerts in Texas because of the genre’s worldwide expansion and success, attending a concert in Korea is surreal. One of the drawbacks in the U.S. is pricey tickets, as greedy scalpers (people or companies that buy up all the good seats and resell them) mark them up to take advantage of desperate fans. I was hoping to build upon my concert experiences here, but surprisingly, getting tickets in Korea has been tricky, too.
One hurdle is reading Korean. Most concert sites for performances in Korea will be advertised in Korean, and the buying process is tough if you can’t read the language. Another hurdle is that many online venues only accept Korean credit cards or bank accounts to purchase tickets. Foreigners, especially those on a tourist visa without a Korean bank or credit card, may be blocked from buying tickets at all.
My saving grace was finding tourism companies that work big K-pop concerts all over Korea and offer tickets solely to foreigners. I could buy tickets to two large-scale concerts in South Korea this way. The first was the 2023 Yeongdongdaero K-Pop Concert in Gangnam in early October, where I saw the groups Aespa, ATEEZ, NCT Dream, Boynextdoor, StayC, and more with the help of my internship company, PlusPlanner.
ATEEZ at the Yeongdongdaero Gangnam Festival!The second concert I attended was the Busan One Asia Festival (BOF) Concert in Busan a few weeks later. This time, I booked with a different travel agency to see the groups NCT 127, Zerobaseone, Treasure, Highlight, Oh My Girl, and others. The concerts were vibrant and loud and everything I’d hoped they would be.
NCT 127 at the BOF Concert in Busan.Of course, there are other places for K-pop fans in Korea, with an abundance of stores selling albums, photo cards, posters, lightsticks, and more; karaoke booths; murals; and even photo booths with filters that feature your favorite idol! Plus, popular tourist areas like Myeongdong and Gangnam feature everything K-pop and blast the newest idol group songs to appeal to travelers here for the music scene.
Takeaways
Being a K-pop stan living in South Korea for three months has been amazing! While I wasn’t able to meet or see any idols up close in my everyday routine—as social media might have suggested is more common—that’s okay. For now, I’ll enjoy the stories others have told me about their run-ins. Honestly, with so many TEAN excursions to see the beauty and culture of Korea, I wasn’t even thinking about it most of the time. I just hope that on my next visit to Seoul, I can catch a glimpse of someone on the street.
Finally, let me advise other K-pop fans that your visit to Korea should be for more than your interest in (or obsession with) the genre. While that’s certainly one attraction, Korea has much more to offer. Fall in love with Korean culture, history, language, geography, and food. Experience all the country offers, recognize how filtered your social media views might be, and try not to generalize the entire country based on the entertainment industry.
I, for one, have expanded my global view and enjoyed the focus on wellness and the quality of life here in Korea. Be a K-pop stan, but even better, be a Korea fan. The country deserves your admiration.
Kasidy Meyer, Texas A&M University, is interning abroad in South Korea with TEAN.
