• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.79-101
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• 2021

With the steady rise in global popularity of the Korean music group BTS, the South Korean government and surrounding industries have swiftly begun utilizing their image and international recognition for specific nation branding purposes. While K-pop soft power strategies are not novel to the South Korean state, what is new is the rapid speed at which BTS have become a beacon for South Korean culture, language, and symbolism in the international arena. However, few scholarly works have sought to investigate the role fans have played in this heightened position for the group as state representatives, with minimal research conducted into the work fans do within the framework of ARMY fan culture. This paper will thus aim to fill the gap in scholarship on ARMY as an organized labour network, focusing on the role fans play as labourers in online spaces that work to promote, disseminate, and cultivate wider recognition for BTS as artists. Through the conjunct engagement of a political economy framework and theories of participatory culture, this paper will explore the manner through which the free labour of ARMY, premised on affect, has constructed the fandom as active agents of soft power alongside BTS themselves.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.41
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• pp.487-510
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• 2015

In recently, thanks to the development of computer and internet, and reinforcement of digital media literacy of ordinary people, many users of comics and animations recombine contents into various ways, including UCCs. In a glance, it seems these outputs violates the copyrights of contents. But in reality, they helps the growth of the ecosystem of contents market, with increase of contents users. The reason of these reproductions inclines the characteristics of animation media. Animation, which are constituted by plastic symbols, auditory symbols, and narrative symbols, and Comic, which supports stories of Animations, affects as 'Imaginary signifier'. These signifiers helps users of contents to dismantle and reassemble stories. These aspects are seen in doujin culture, animation soundtrack fandom, and voice actor fandom. But In this article, we will concentrate into cosplay culture. Cosplay culture shows more active appearances than another fandoms. In especially, cosplay stage and daily cafe show more active reproductions of characters and communications. However, they are done by youth fans, which has not enough financial abilities: therefore, events are not sustainable and discontinued. And they have another limits, like lack of opportunity of performance. In the reality of Korean society, which needs of community making by community member, and hybrid culture, comics and animation productions in Korea are in need of access positively and encourage reproductions of active receivers of animations.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.80
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• pp.115-142
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• 2016

This study aims to reveal the content of and logic behind a recent negative public sentiment toward female idols with the example of a debate over songstress IU's fourth album that was released late last year. While previous studies on fandom have focused on the identification process towards entertainers and making community, a recent phenomenon of "anti-fandom" or "malicious comments" implies that more research is needed on negative emotions such as hostility or schadenfreude (feelings of pleasure from others' misfortunes). Schadenfreude is a social sentiment that originated in modern liberalism, which features contradictions between public equality and private ownership, and that has been intensified in neoliberalism, which features a maximization of this contradiction centering on a meritocracy. Celebrities in Korea often become the targets of schadenfreude, which is associated with the suspicion that they gain popularity not from their abilities but from "just being popular." It should also be noted that this kind of schadenfreude operates differently between male and female entertainers. Specifically, the acquisition of money and fame by modern women whose presence used to be located in the private possessions of males is considered to be due to their unjustified use of sexuality. This is also the background of the recent online misogyny culture in Korea. In this context, IU, who had been successful at building a differentiated image of "sister-like idol artist," became a valid target. Although accusing IU of utilizing pedophilia reflects a stalemate that a current politics of sexual violence faces, it rather damages the name of an individual than attracts public attention to the structural causes of childsexualabuse. This is why I see the way that pedophilia was used in the debate over IU as a schadenfreude. Consequently, the term pedophilia here contributes to an expansion of the entertainment economy that is sustained by rises and falls of the celebrities' stock prices.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.289-304
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• 2018

The fandom phenomenon of political emotion originated from ideological conflicts between the conservative and the progressive amplifies social conflicts in South Korea in interpreting and accepting films as culture media. The purpose of this paper is to examine why the structure of political consciousness in South Korea is fandomized, what is the acceptance of cinema at the center of the controversy of political ideology, and what is the desirable attitude of film reception. I conducted a discourse analysis that closely examined the debates and articles on the internet regarding ,(2013) and ,(2014) which were controversial in terms of conservatism and progressivism. As a result, First, while Korean society has not constituted a consensus on modern and contemporary history, it has easily led the acceptance of cinema to the controversy surrounding the political ideology. Second, the failure of constructing consensual memories of modern and contemporary history has made the conservative and the progressive not acknowledge the other's achievements. Third, film interpretation and meaning production are ultimately the roles of the audience, and on interpretation, diversity should be respected but conformity would be rejected. Film acceptance and interpretation should focus on rational awareness of social reality and would reflect on the social ideal objectively.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.117-149
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• 2021

Over seven years, BTS have organically embedded consistent mental health messaging and modelling of various mental health modalities, representing innovation within mental health discourse, within and outside the pop and K-pop culture and fandom. Their personal and artistic journeys have resulted in songs, imagery, and relationship dynamics within the group and within and between their fans ARMY, that organically model behaviours associated with mental health therapeutic modalities and normalize the discussion of mental health and well-being. This practice is vitally important in the effort to end stigma and encourage mental health well-being and recovery. BTS's authenticity establishes empathy with their audience ARMY and increases their ability to deliver these messages effectively. This includes fostering the creation of a peer support community within the group that extends to their fanbase ARMY, and from which fan-created mental health programs have emerged. BTS's innovation will be explored by examining content creation throughout their career, illustrating their consistent and organic messaging, culminating in overt and conscious mental health content in their latest album BE, which was released three weeks after the initial paper was presented, and provides proof of concept.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.119-126
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• 2023

This study explores the convergence of metaverse and short-form content, proposing a new approach for viewing short-form content with a vertical aspect ratio on a metaverse platform and within a virtual museum. Short-form content has gained popularity due to the snack culture and is proving to be advantageous in e-commerce. By studying the relationship between vertical ratio screens and gaze, we confirm the effectiveness of vertical ratio short-form content in providing immersive experiences and fostering sharing and communication. The proposed virtual museum offers opportunities for innovative businesses to market through fandom. This research highlights the value of vertical proportion short-form content and its significance in the convergence of metaverse and short-form content. It aims to contribute to industry development, provide new creative directions, enhance personal visual experiences, and expand applicability in related fields.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.30
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• pp.263-291
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• 2013

In this article, I analyze Korean Dong-in culture and its relationship with Yaoi, focusing on the changes in the 1990s. While Korean Dong-in culture has developed under the influence of Japanese Dojin culture, it is not well-known that Korean Dong-in culture has its own characteristics, reflecting the unique situations surrounding the Korean society. The reason that I pay attention to the changes in the 1990s is that they have created the foundation of the current Korean dong-in culture through changes such as the import and reception of Yaoi, the creation of 'virtual community' in PC telecommunication, the enforcement of Juvenile Protection Law, and the inauguration of 'Comic World,' Among them, the import and reception of Yaoi, a genre characterized by homosexuality including sexual relationship and fanwork, played a decisive role in the change of dong-in culture from manwha circle by highly motivated amatuer artists to fandom. The circumstances that original manhwa dong-in by manwha circle and Yaoi by manhwa fandom coexisted by the mid-1990s, the enforcement of Juvenile Protection Law and the lift of ban on Japanese popular culture rapidly weakened original manhwa dong-in. Also, the popularity of Comic World as a new type of dong-in events reflected the spread of fanwork as a new trend of Korean dong-in. In summary, the import and reception of Yaoi should be considered as one of the important changes in the 1990s Korean Dong-in culture, because 1) Korean women considered Yaoi as a liberating subculture by its powerful contents-homosexuality with sexual relationship, and 2) Yaoi succeeded in attracting new population favoring fanwork as a major trend in Korean Dong-in, differentiated from original manhwa circle population.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.87-94
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to explore the essential meaning of Deokhu's culture in adolescent as a play space on Cyber. A phenomenological research method guided data collection and analysis. Qualitative research methods collected from 18 in - depth interviews using semistructured question types for 13 to 17 year - old adolescents living in Seoul Jamsil. As a result, As a result, adolescent's Deokhu culture started by stress and social and emotional desire, and especially it was utilized as a play space on the cyber of purchase activity of fandom and goods around SNS activities. This has a positive effect on self-awareness as well as self-identity formation. Above all, the shortage of play time due to heavy school entrance and the lack of socially provided play space make the cyber space as another play space for the adolescents.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.221-232
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• 2019

The uniqueness of the K-Pop 'idol' culture, which is a key area of its success, can be found not only through the acceptance of diverse cultures and the strengthening of the performance capacity, but also by the effective utilization of new technological environment. As a result, the Korean idol system, which is distinguished from the Japanese idol system, is established. And these systems are evolving with new technological environments. This paper examines the process of evolution of the Korean idol system that adapts to the technical environment through the case of the idol girl group 'IZ*ONE'. 'IZ*ONE' not only achieved rapid success by actively utilizing SNS and new media and producing interactive narratives, but also establishing stable expansion and homogeneity of fandom through interactive rituals. By comparing the evolution and achievement of such a system with the Japanese idol system, we will be able to present the factors of K-Pop success more clearly.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.111-116
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• 2020

This is a case study of corporate culture marketing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Steve Jobs on October 5, 2021. Corporate culture marketing seeks to derive cultural consumer values through Steve Jobs' fandom, and to increase corporate brand image and achieve profits. According to Big Data, Steve Jobs' brand image was derived from 'Innovation', 'First', 'Creativity', 'Change', and 'Design'. So, the relationship between Spigen convergence culture space 'SpigenHall', which is highly related to Steve Jobs' brand image, and the opera , which is made of the material of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, is analyzed with big data and culture. We investigated the opinions of content experts. SpigenKorea and the digital opera are designed to provide Steve Jobs' story of joy and sorrow, offer VIP members' premium services, press publicity is 'the first in Korea', GangNam's suitable for famous celebrity performance venues and cultural and artistic venues 'SpigenHall', the revenue of the performance ticket was selected as a donation. This study is suitable for researching the life story of male CEOs and planning a cultural city. The limitations of the study need to analyze various works by genre and attempt to analyze consumer values according to the industry.