About Hallyu

Like I've mentioned before, being an international fan of K-Pop sucks. If you're not Korean or Japanese you're out of luck.

Hypocritical Hallyu: International Fans And K-Pop Fandom

A white, blonde, German friend of mine did go and was able to see Exo's comeback. That's all I know. But this isn't the first time that international fans who wanted to go to a music show in Korea have claimed that they weren't allowed in.
But that's not exactly the main issue here.
International fans are excluded. Hallyu depends on international fans, but they don't do much for us.
Some fans call upon entertainment companies to offer international membership (here's an example).
Even if you're in Korea, you can't attend some events because you need a membership.
But a friend of mine did point out that it would be pointless to have international membership. She said you'd be paying for nothing because there are no concerts or events held where you live anyway, and Korean CDs aren't sold outside of Asia (with the exception of some Koreatowns or Chinatowns).
K-Pop concerts have been held in more places in the last couple of years, such as South America and Europe. Still, people aren't satisfied. It is understood that "world tour" rarely means "world". It means Asia. It's disappointing. Fans are left frustrated. Many will never be able to see their favorite bands live. Fans in different countries have gathered and held events to ask for a concert, but with no success. When K-Pop comes to the U.S., 98% of the time it's only L.A. For example, many fans are upset and hurt with the recent announcement that TVXQ will have a concert in L.A. in July because New York is left out. hi mom dad can i please go to la


Another thing that angers international fans is problematic things Korean celebrities do. One of these things is blackface. With blackface on TV again and the scandal with Jenny Hyun last year, many international fans were quite offended and fed up with racism in the Korean media. People are disgusted.
Fans have tried speaking out about this because it keeps happening.

An Open Letter from International Fans for #ChangeInKorea: Blackface

Korean Television: Please, Never Do This Again

Another issue with racism is that when K-Pop does go abroad to other countries outside Asia, they're only interested in white people. Despite SM holding auditions across the globe, everyone knows you have to be Asian to even be considered. Just like everyone knows that white fans are preferred and focused on when K-Pop groups perform outside of Asia. When waiting in line, even if you're not Korean, the cameras typically only go to white people for interviews.

It has not escaped notice that whenever non-Korean extras or back-up dancers appear in K-Pop music videos, they're almost always white.

I'm having trouble digging up links, but Cube has caused controversy too. At a concert in Spain, fans said that darker-skinned people in the audience, including a pregnant woman, were asked to leave their seats. They wanted white people in the front to be caught on film. Also, when Beast shot a music video in New York City Cube put an ad on Craigslist to cast extras. White models only.

Boys to Search for White Women

These are some examples of how K-Pop frequently alienates international fans.