Life of a K-pop Expat in Korea: 'The Lucky Few' - How to See Your K-pop Bias in Korea (or not)

Who am I? My name is Niki and I am an international K-pop fan who was lucky enough to get a job teaching amazing and bright kids, and having the time of my life. But let me tell you, it hasn't all been rainbows and puppies, especially when it came to my obsession: music. Namely: K-pop.

I spent a good week trying to figure out what my first post in this column should be. Should I talk about how big, or not big, K-pop is over here? Or what about the stereotype I still have to deal with whenever anyone finds out I like K-pop, both from Koreans and foreigners alike? It was when I had a friend ask how many fansigns I've been to that I realized one of the biggest misconceptions from international fans- seeing your bias all the time! Let me tell you, this is hard, people!

If you're on Twitter or Tumblr, then you probably follow at least one of what I like to call "The Lucky Few". These are the international fans who are currently in Seoul. Maybe they're studying as an exchange student, maybe they're lucky enough to have gotten a job teaching in Seoul, or maybe they could afford to take a vacation and hang out in Seoul for a few months. No matter the reason, they are here doing what you would die to do- seeing your bias.

They constantly post about attending fan signs and music show records and how they made eye contact or had someone remembered their name. Then they put up pictures every week of your bias going to a music show, or at a concert, or attending some sort of event. So if these people are doing so much, it must be easy, right?

WRONG! It is easier because they live in the same country as your bias, but the money that goes into all of that is absolutely crazy. And the luck. Plus dedication. And luck. So so so much luck. Why? Because the two ways to see your bias are 1- random chance fan signs, or 2- music shows.

Fan signs are where you can actually interact with your bias, and it is glorious. But they are so hard to get into. You know how your favorite International Fan in Korea seems to have give-aways left and right? That is because they probably have piles of CDs sitting in their bedroom. I myself have attended 1 fan sign since I got to Korea, but have tried for more. When BTS first came out, they weren't that well know, but I liked them. So when I found out they were having a Daegu fan sign, I might have flipped my lid. In the end, around 600 CDs were sold for the fan sign, and they randomly choose 150 people got in. But since I, as well as many others, bought between 5 and 10 CDs, if you bought a CD you were most likely getting in. That isn't the case for them now, or for larger groups either.

BAP had a fan sign in Daejeon, a short hour train trip for me, so I decided to try for it. I bought 15 CDs, aka around $150, to try and see B.A.P. What happened? No luck. I have another friend who lives near Seoul and wanted to see B.A.P as well, so, after saving money and deciding to live on ramen for awhile, she bought around 20 CDs for one fan sign. And guess what? She didn't get in either.

But Niki, you might be thinking, what about music shows? Sure, you might not have been able to get into a fansign, but there are music shows every week! Those have to be easier to get into, right? WRONG!

Well, maybe a little right. But they require much more dedication than a fan sign does. As you probably know, there are 5 main music shows each week. Three of them are during the week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. So unless you are a college student, you don't work, or you don't mind skipping high school classes, you won't be able to go to those. If you are one of those 3 types of people, then power to you because you will have an easier time than those of us over here working. But that leaves us with the two weekend shows: Music Core on Saturday and Inkigayo on Sunday. Which, as you can guess, are hard as anything to get into. Music Core has a fairly large theater, but you might need to bring binoculars if you get a bad seat. Inkigayo is more up close, but the number of tickets is miniscule. Then, there is the waiting. During the summer and fall, you have to go early. And I mean earlier than the butt-crack of dawn early. If you aren't on the first train, or if you won't be getting there before 6:30am, it almost isn't worth going. Music Core is a little easier to get into due to the sheer size of the theater, so if you're there by 7, you should be okay. But Inkigayo? I've been 4 times, waiting before 6:30am both times, for BTS who, by the way, doesn't have THAT many fans (yet), and I got in ONCE. So,there must be some sort of probability ratio to get in, and for BTS at this 'height' of popularity, it's maximum 25% chance. There's probably a bigger chance of rain or snowfall or something.  It's easier in winter because you have to sign up online beforehand so the waiting isn't always pointless, but still. They only allot 20-40 tickets for most groups. That makes your chances a bit more slim.

I've had more luck with music shows than fan signs, but not nearly as much luck as "The Lucky Few". I hate to admit it, but I am a little jealous. I wish I lived in Seoul. Or that I was a student and could miss classes. Or that I had endless money. But I don't. So I satiate my K-pop love by paying out the whazoo for fan club memberships, merch, and tickets to concerts (if I manage to get through the ticketing war alive) just like you all do. But those are stories for another time.

Comment below about the Lucky Few.  Or any topics you would like me to cover about life as a K-pop fan (expat) in Korea. 

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