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2025.03.17
So, have you ever wondered what kind of activities (commonly known as “otakatsu”) KPOP fans engage in? This time, I would like to present a special edition focusing on my own otakatsu activities.
To put it simply,
1. Buy CDs
2. Go to concerts
These are probably the top two activities that anyone can imagine as otakatsu.
And the essence of KPOP otakatsu lies in the following two points.
3. Attend offline events (offi-be)
4. Participate in online video calls (commonly known as yonton)
Offi-be, as the name suggests, are events where you can meet your favorite idols in person, while online video calls are events that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was not possible to meet in person, and they have become established even after the pandemic.
Some may wonder,
Why do we bother with video calls when we can meet in person? If we can meet face-to-face, wouldn’t that be better than talking over a video call?
You may have forgotten, but they are KPOP idols who usually live in Korea.
Moreover, KPOP now has fans all over the world, and many people cannot easily go to meet them.
The establishment of video call events after the pandemic serves as a solution for those who want to meet but cannot.
Furthermore, during face-to-face events, you can only talk for about a minute at most, but in video calls, you can talk for two and a half to three minutes.
If you have a lot to say or want to convey something, you might intentionally choose a video call.
Additionally, the ability to record the call is a significant advantage.
You can replay the video call with your favorite idol indefinitely.
Moreover, I personally believe that the biggest advantage of video calls is that they allow for things that cannot be done at face-to-face events.
That is, being able to introduce your pet to your favorite idol.
This is 100% impossible at face-to-face events,
and if you were to force it, you would definitely be banned from future events.
As for me, I have a very fond memory of introducing my cat during a video call.
※The attached video shows the reaction of my favorite idol, Kep1er’s Yujin, when I showed her my cat.
It’s a video of her saying, “Ah! So cute!” followed by an air petting gesture.
As you can see, there are unique experiences that can only be enjoyed through video calls.
However, it cannot be denied that the main event is the fan signing event.
A fan signing event is a divine event where you can get signatures from all members on an album, talk to them during the process, and even take photos with not just a smartphone but also a DSLR camera during the event.
However, being a divine event, it does come with a considerable cost.
Typically, when KPOP groups make a comeback, several fan signing events are held, but to participate in these events, you need to buy multiple albums.
This is because Korea employs a border system, where winners are selected in order of how many albums they have purchased.
The winning threshold varies depending on the group’s popularity, but for super popular groups, it can happen that even if you buy hundreds of albums, you may not be able to participate. By the way, albums usually cost around 2000 to 2500 yen each, so if you think about it, getting a ticket to one fan signing event by buying hundreds of albums would cost over 200,000 yen, which is an amount that light fans cannot afford.
These fan signing events are generally held in Korea, but occasionally there are events in Japan, and since the border system is legally prohibited in Japan, winners are selected by lottery.
That said, the more albums you buy, the higher your chances of winning, so ultimately, it doesn’t change the fact that you need to buy a lot in Japan as well. However, the good thing about Japanese events is that even if you buy one or two albums, there is a possibility of winning, which adds a sense of hope.
Moreover, the highlight of the fan signing event is being able to bring items you want your favorite idol to wear and take pictures of them wearing those items.
To explain for those who may not understand, when I participated in the fan signing event for Kep1er in Japan in January, the items I brought for my favorite Yujin were the ones shown in the photos below.
Here are the photos taken while wearing those items.
Now you can understand how amazing this event is.
Yes. They give you eye contact with the camera.
You can obtain a one-of-a-kind photo of your favorite idol.
Moreover, since they take multiple shots, countless photos are recorded on the SD card. You can then choose to print them as regular L-size photos, create your own cheki cards, or make original trading cards; the choice is yours.
And of course, you can talk to each member and get their signatures, so for someone who supports that group, it’s an incredibly enjoyable experience.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that some people would want to spend hundreds of dollars on CDs to attend, and whether they think the price is high or low depends on their personal values.
With this, I hope you have gained a little understanding of why KPOP fans spend so much money.
Finally, I would like to conclude this article with a cute group shot of Kep1er taken during the fan signing event.
The End
Peko Neko Machi
SKOOTA KPOP Department Team Leader
〈Originally a Western rock music fan who once considered working for Rockin’ On. Became interested in KPOP through BTS, then fell in love with BLACKPINK, and gradually got deeper into the KPOP world. Became a hardcore fan of Kep1er, who debuted from the survival audition program “Girls Planet 999,” resulting in fully immersing in the KPOP world.〉
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