ARMY, the worldwide fan group of the K-pop sensation BTS, has numerous members saying how the group changed their lives. Thus aside from patterns exhibited by fans on a collective level, each individual fan has his or her own relationship to a beloved act.

Pet Names

Using shorthand for official fan club titles like ¡°EXO-L¡± for the boy band EXO, with the ¡°L¡± meaning ¡°love,¡± is a common practice among fan communities with a domestic or global presence. In addition, ¡°L¡± denotes the combination of EXO¡¯s two subgroup¡¯s EXO-M and EXO-K, as it is situated between ¡°M¡± and ¡°K¡± in alphabetic sequence. Per the implied unity, the fan club¡¯s slogan is ¡°We are one.¡±

Endearing pet names are often directed both ways. EXO calls its fans ¡°Eri,¡±which takes the last syllable of EXO-L; the word eri in Korean means ¡°guardian¡± or ¡°blessing.¡± Though not uncommon, the group¡¯s fans have gone as far as to designate nicknames for fans of individual members. Fans of Xiumin are called ¡°Elsas¡± after the character from the Disney hit film ¡°Frozen¡± given his arctic yet cute appearance. Chanyeol¡¯s fans are dubbed ¡°Yeolmae,¡± which is Korean for ¡°berries,¡± from the origin of his name al chan-yeol mae (fruitful berries). Baekhyun¡¯s fans are dubbed ¡°BH Family/Erikyoongs¡± and those of Chen ¡°Soondingies.¡± For each member, fans use the pet name ¡°Bunny¡± for Suho, so his fans are nicknamed ¡°Bunny Citizens.¡± For Lay, whose official fan club is named Xback, international fans prefer ¡°Xingmi¡± (¡°Lovers of Yixing¡±); D.O. fans are ¡°Dandanies¡± (Strong Ones); Kai¡¯s ¡°Erigoms¡± (Guardian Bears); and Sehun¡¯s ¡°Xunqis¡± (Knights of Sehun).

K-pop fans display creativity and devotion by creating art and tangible items highlighting their favorite artists. © MARLOWE ART (Left) © unsplash (Right)

Girl Groups, Girl Fans

K-pop girl groups have always had a weaker fan base whether in their power to organize or the general head count. Another pattern is that unsurprisingly, their fan demographic consists heavily of the fairer sex. For example, MAMAMOO¡¯s fan club Moomoo in 2015 was nearly 83% female, with one concert seating 88.8% of them, according to the concert e-ticketing site Interpark.

Though the group eventually attracted more male fans, effeminate cheers tend to dominate its concerts. The act¡¯s devout fan base is also keen on copying MAMAMOO¡¯s behavior. Known to be wild, effusive and carefree, the tightly knit group is known to playfully refer to fans as ¡°crazy hyper.¡±

Netflix Documentary

Netflix¡¯s first K-pop documentary, ¡°BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky,¡± premiered in October this year. The film is meant to appeal to ¡°people who, like me, knew a little about K-pop, not that much,¡± the film¡¯s Korean American director Caroline Suh told Bazaar. As the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, BLACKPINK has received mainstream fame overseas, a terrain previously dominated by male K-pop acts by the likes of BTS and Psy.

Showing high popularity in over 27 countries, the documentary goes deeper into the background of each member like information on their childhoods.

The documentary shows how the group¡¯s popularity grew through fan interest in members finding their true selves through music and dance skills. Fans nowadays need more than seeing their K-pop idols on stage or in innovative music videos; more candid glimpses of their daily lives or efforts behind the scenes are also a must.

As part of a joint project by the charity organization Make-A-Wish Korea and the K-pop management agency JYP Entertainment, the JYP-affiliated boy band GOT7 last year invited children with chronic diseases and their families to a concert during the group's world tour. © Make-A-Wish¢ç Korea x JYP Entertainment

Corporate Social Responsibility

The campaign Every Dream Matters (EDM) jointly offered by JYP Entertainment and Make-A-Wish Korea supports sick children and the pursuit of their dreams. Founded last year, the program has helped young patients with rare or fatal diseases like cancer or leukemia through the efforts of JYP¡¯s acts like Twice, DAY6 and JYP founder Park Jin-young, who is himself a former K-pop artist and whose initials form the company¡¯s name.

The campaign¡¯s website (https://edmwish.jype.com/eng/) contains inspiring stories of such children and accepts donations on their behalf.