We go to the iKON pop-up store so we can enter the draw to be selected for a fan meet. Either way we wanted to buy merch, so it worked out well. We found out about this from the “fan cafe” which you can find on the YG website.
You may be wondering why we like iKON so much. They might seem like a new group but fans have actually been following them for 2 years because they have been in the public eye for quite a while (Bobby also won Show Me the Money, the Hip Hop elimination show). As you may know, I’m a BIGBANG fan and I tend to only like Kpop groups that write their own music, and iKON, the next big group out of YG Entertainment, write their own music and are just all-round so talented. Seeing their debut concert really pushed Chloe and I into the fangirl territory. Hugh much prefers me to be excited about music and concerts, than going out drinking and stuff like that, so is happy to buy us tickets and take us to get merch.
On the weekend Chloe and I went to the iKON concert! Many people would have watched on the V app live as well, but the professional filming doesn’t always capture what it feels like to be actually at the concert. It was seriously exhilarating. There was such a positive feeling everywhere and it was an amazing concert. So some of you might be wondering who iKON is. Well you probably know that I’m a huge BIGBANG fan, who are probably the most popular and well known Kpop group. iKON is from the same entertainment agency and have only just debuted. So how can such a new group fill out a stadium with their first concert? Well iKON have been in the public eye for 2 years. First in the TV show WIN: Who is Next where they were pitted against other trainees in YG Entertainment. They actually lost and the winning team went on to debut as the group WINNER. They were then put through the stress of another elimination TV show called Mix and Match where 3 new members were added but they all had to prove they were good enough to be in the group as 2 members didn’t make the cut. These TV shows were immensely popular in Korea and a strategy of the entertainment company to gain fans before they even debut. Two members B.I. and Bobby competed in the Hip Hop elimination TV show Show Me the Money and Bobby went on to win (amazing feat for an ‘idol rapper’). So it may seem like I’ve suddenly started liking a new group, I’ve actually been following them for years, which is why it was so great to go to the debut concert. Chloe and I filmed another video about going to concerts in Korea with some more logistical info, so stay tuned for that later.
Okay the next thing I’m going to write is for international iKON fans:
Okay, it really was Sunny from Girls’ Generation! One second later and Hugh disappeared into the crowd of mostly guys. There is a lot of celebrity stuff in the area of Seoul we are staying in because all the big media companies are here.
We had a whirlwind trip to Seoul. SBS PopAsia were in town secretly filming stuff so we caught up with them. Hugh went a day before me because I still had some work to do.
Here are the pics that we posted on social media:
Hugh caught up with the JJCC boys:
We met Sam Hammington (Aussie comedian famous in Korea) at his awesome cafe.
All the guys that do stuff on SBS PopAsia: Hugh with Andy (Host) and Prince Mak and Peter who both do radio shows.
SBS PopAsia are based in Australia and are the best digital radio station for Asian pop internationally (and of course if you live in Australia there is the TV show). You can download the app! They call me once a week to chat about Kpop and Korea. You may remember the vlog where we visited them in Australia.
Korea is an awesome place, but how some people in the international Kpop and Kdrama communities talk about Korea can more harm than good. Of course Korean tourism plays a part as well. We’ve heard of people coming to Korea and expecting to meet a rich handsome guy exactly like in a drama and when that doesn’t happen, they go back to their own country angry and disappointed and hating Korea. We get a lot of emails and messages, and many of them are worrying to us because of the high pedestal some people place Korea on. I know that many of you have a very balanced view of Korea, so you might be surprised that there are people with such extreme ideas about Korea, but we are seeing it more and more. In particular, I think people from countries where they may lack a sufficient education are particularly at risk, as they lack the skills to research and understand on their own. It’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamor that is presented internationally about Korea, which can lead to disappointment in the long run.
For international Kpop fans, they may be surprised to hear how little people actually listen to Kpop. There are the huge groups that people know about, but mostly Kpop is for teenage girls, and even then those girls will have one favourite group, not several. It’s odd to many Koreans when they see international Kpop fans liking so many groups at the same time. It may be hard for some fans to hear but your favourite Kpop group may attract very little attention in Korea. That’s why some Kpop stars go onto TV shows, because it’s a much bigger platform for them to attract attention that may trickle down to the Kpop group they are in. That’s not to say that there is no Kpop in Korea, you’ll hear it all the time, being played in stores and you’ll see the bigger groups in advertising and of course you may have the chance to go to a concert, but Korea is not magical Kpop land.
We talked about many other things in this video but had to cut a lot. One thing we had to cut but will talk about later is how the international community talks about Korean military service and the problems with that.
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