It's no secret that K-pop fans are known for their extreme devotion to the artists.

In Thailand, fans of the genre called "tings" seem to be every bit as dedicated as the South Korean kids that started the international craze.

At a recent brunch for Thailand's Girls' Generation fan club, several of the organization's 77,000 members spoke about the lengths they have gone for their love of K-pop.

Tong, a 23-year-old ting, loves South Korean pop music so much, she decided to learn Korean.      

"I wanted to know the meaning of K-Pop lyrics, so I began studying the language," Tong told the Bangkok Post. "I took the test of proficiency in Korean and scored so high I got a scholarship from the South Korean government and am now a grad student there."

A 33-year-old Thai accounting manager who goes by the COSTS OF K-POP CRAZEBie said she had to cut herself off from buying merchandise from her favorite artists.

"I simply couldn't afford it anymore," CRAZEBie said. "There is so much stuff out there. [From the Girls' Generation] debut until today, I've spent around 100,000 baht [roughly $3,370] on the band, which includes postcards, posters, CDs, DVDs, photo books as well as airfare, hotels and even vitamins they've promoted.'"

"The record labels love tings because they know that we're supporting the artists by shunning pirated goods and buying licensed products,'' a college-aged fan added.

The term "ting" came from the short regulation haircuts that high school in Thailand were forced to have, above the ears. The term is short for the Thai word for earlobe "ting hu."

The tings attending the fan club meeting also discussed their willingness to wait for days at the airport to get a glimpse of their idols.

"I bring my homework with me and sometimes I prepare for a mid-term exam while I wait,'' 19-year-old college student New explained.

Girls' Generation fan club member Mai feels it is completely normal to wait at the airport for two days or more to see K-pop idol.

"There's nothing crazy about waiting at the airport," said the 22-year-old ting. "If your sister arrives at the airport after a year studying abroad, wouldn't you be there to pick her up? We love our stars as family members."