Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Rebecca Buchanan
Guest: Areum Jeong, author of K-Pop Fandom: Performing Deokhu from the 1990s to Today (U Michigan Press, 2026)
Date: February 10, 2026

Overview:

This episode features a conversation with Areum Jeong about her new book exploring the evolution and cultural significance of K-pop fandom from its pre-digital origins in the 1990s to the globally interconnected, digital era of today. Jeong, both a scholar and lifelong fan, provides a unique autoethnographic perspective on how K-pop fans—particularly Korean women—have shaped and sustained fan culture and labor over several generations, and how these practices interact with the industry, digital technologies, and societal shifts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origins and Motivation for the Book

• Personal History with K-pop: Jeong discusses being a K-pop fan since childhood, predating the term “K-pop.” She emphasizes the analog era's unique experiences, such as watching TV and listening to the radio, and the lack of documentation of these early fandom practices in English-language scholarship.

  • "Back when I was growing up in the 90s in South Korea, that term didn’t even exist...those are my most cherished experiences. But it’s also not often documented in English language scholarship today." (03:10)

• Academic Gaps: While teaching, Jeong noticed a lack of material on K-pop fandom itself, leading her to start the book she wished to assign to her students.

  • "There was so much good work on...globalization or government policies. But I couldn't really find a lot of sources...on the topic of fan culture." (03:59)

2. What is K-pop? Generational Shifts

• Three-Fold Definition:
  1. Cultural Product — generated by entertainment agencies within neoliberal capitalism.
  2. Receptive Phenomenon — spread and popularized by fans, not government intervention.
  3. Community & Labor — K-pop as a network of fans whose labor creates and sustains culture.

  • "K-pop is a cultural product...a receptive phenomenon...and a community held together by fans and their labor." (06:01)

• Generational Analysis: Jeong divides K-pop history into four generations, arguing that so-called “fifth gen” is mostly a marketing ploy.

  • "I don't really see a huge difference between 4th gen and what they call 5th gen. So I'm going to ignore that 5th gen because I just think it's a marketing ploy." (07:30)

• Continuity of Fan Practices: Early analog practices (like colored balloons) evolved into digital ones (light sticks, slogans), showing both continuity and adaptation.

  • "A lot of the fan practices we see today...they all have their originals in the first generation in the 90s." (09:20)

3. Research Methodology & Unique Aspects of K-pop Fandom

• Autoethnographic Approach: Jeong’s own fandom facilitated more candid interviews with Korean women, the primary culture-shapers in K-pop fandom.

  • "Because these fans...know that I'm a fan...they felt more comfortable confiding what they were really thinking and doing because they know that I would not judge them." (13:32)

• Fan Authenticity & Intimacy: Korean fans place unique demands on “authenticity,” including personal morality of idols and expectation for direct, intimate fan service (e.g., direct messaging).

  • "K-pop idols will...tell you what they did today, what they ate for lunch and dinner...it feels like you're having a one-on-one conversation with your favorite K-pop idol." (12:13)

• Limits of Western Theories: Western fan studies frameworks fall short in accounting for these particular dynamics.

  • "It's difficult to actually theorize K-pop only through western centric frameworks." (13:30)

4. Structure of the Book & Concept of Deokhu

• Chapters Progression: Begins with low-investment fan activities (e.g., streaming music), then escalates to higher-investment practices (fan events, creative labor), and finally disengagement or protest.

  • "The book starts with fan activities that require...less labor and less time and less cost...then each chapter moves on to a fan activity that requires a bit more effort." (15:33)

• Cycle of Fandom Engagement: Not all fans remain permanently; disenchantment, scandals, and dissatisfaction with the industry or community can cause exit and even protest.

  • "...you might fall out of love...it's not a linear trajectory...could also be...a cycle, kind of like a circle of life." (16:45)

5. Redefining Parasocial Relationships

• From One-Way to Asymmetric Two-Way: Early fandom was mediated and distant. Today’s digital platforms enable more interactive engagement—idols read fans’ comments and respond, blurring traditional boundaries.

  • "...it's no longer an entirely one way relationship...it's a more asymmetric two way relationship." (19:22)

6. Transformation During COVID-19

• Online Pivot: The pandemic forced the industry to innovate—online concerts, video fan calls, and hybrid events proliferated, intensifying digital fan labor.

  • "Covid was a horrible time, but it was such a big boon for the K-pop industry...they very swiftly adapted to online platforms." (21:22)

• Digital Creativity and Community: Online spaces flourished with fan videos, social media activity, and sharing of memorabilia experiences.

  • "...heightened was the number of fan videos on YouTube and social media platforms...they all posted their thoughts, their recollections, and the carefully edited fan videos of their conversations..." (22:40)

7. Archiving and Curating Fan Experiences

• Ephemara and Memory: Fan-made fanzines, cup sleeve events at cafes, photo exhibitions—all are ways fans archive and memorialize an inherently ephemeral culture.

  • "In K-pop, one of the most popular things...is when it's an idol's birthday...they would have these cup sleeve events in coffee shops..." (25:35)

• Independent Publishing: Fans write memoirs (outside mainstream publishing) for their own community and often crowdfund these projects.

  • "These writers...advertise what they're writing about...through their social media. And they could also crowdsource funds." (26:06)

8. Protest, Disengagement, and Community Care

• Dark Side of the Industry: K-pop is not free from serious issues (gender crimes, industry exploitation), but fans have developed protest tactics—boycotts, hashtags, collective mobilization—to demand accountability.

  • "...the ways in which fans get together, call these idols out for accountability and also try to change the industry...comes from...care for each other..." (28:25)

9. Purpose and Message of the Book

• Illuminating Invisible Labor: Jeong’s book foregrounds the centrality of fan labor, much of which remains invisible and underappreciated.

  • "Even up to today...we're still very far from a systematic understanding of what they do and what their labor does. Because so much of their labor is so invisible." (30:31)

• Invitation for Further Research: Book focuses on Korean women, but Jeong urges new research on other regions and fan demographics.

  • "...I'm hoping that junior scholars, future scholars, will be motivated to write about what other fans do in other regions and how their labor transforms their society." (31:28)

10. Open Access and Pedagogical Intent

• The book will be published open access, making it available globally and written in accessible language to encourage undergraduate engagement.

  • "The best thing about this book...is that it will be available open access...I tried very hard to write in a very easy, accessible way that is free from jargon." (32:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Generational Change:
  • "In the 90s, we didn't have those light sticks, but we had balloons...there's a bit of change and adapting along the way...but a lot of the fan practices that we see today...have...their originals in the first generation." (09:07)
• On Uniqueness of K-pop Fandom:
  • "Taylor Swift is not going to tell me what she ate for lunch and dinner. But K-pop idols will..." (12:13)
• On the Intimacy of Digital Fandom:
  • "The interface looks like a one-on-one chat. So it feels like you're having a one-on-one conversation with your favorite K-pop idol." (11:53)
• On the Cycle of Fandom:
  • "For some people it could be linear, but for some people it could also be...like a circle of life." (16:47)
• On Community Care:
  • "They're in K-pop not just because they love the idols, but also because they love the other fans and they want the industry to do better." (28:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jeong’s personal fandom story and motivation: 00:34 – 04:00
• Defining K-pop and discussion of generations: 05:46 – 10:17
• Western scholarship and research methods: 11:06 – 14:48
• Cycle of fandom (becoming, engaging, exiting): 15:29 – 18:14
• Redefining parasocial relationships: 18:37 – 20:45
• Pandemic transformation and digital labor: 21:21 – 24:02
• Archiving and zines, cup sleeves, memoirs: 25:05 – 27:27
• Fan protests and the community’s desire for industry reform: 28:03 – 29:37
• Book’s aims, fan labor, and invitation for future scholarship: 30:18 – 31:48
• Open access announcement and pedagogical design: 32:07 – 34:02

Conclusion

Areum Jeong’s K-Pop Fandom: Performing Deokhu from the 1990s to Today is a pioneering monograph that illuminates the central yet often invisible labor of fans in sustaining and shaping K-pop, blending personal experience, academic rigor, and a call for further study. Through its accessible, open-access format, Jeong hopes to encourage a deeper, more nuanced global understanding of K-pop fandom—its history, innovations, and the profound sense of community and care that drives it.