BTS fans called ‘Koreaboo’ in the US; shows bias against Asian culture continues in the country
- ‘Koreaboo’ is a derogatory term referring to people too obsessed with Korean culture, now widely used in the US to describe K-pop fans
- Academics say it is a clear sign that K-pop has not been fully embraced in America and there remains a bias against Asian culture
By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop sensations BTS may have broken into the massive US music market, but the seven-piece boy band and their followers are still battling prejudice and discrimination against Asia and its pop culture.
Trolls still taunt BTS online over what they argue are signs of the members’ lack of masculinity – wearing make-up, dying their hair rainbow colours and having fancy outfits. They also accuse them of being puppets manufactured by K-pop companies with no musical skills. And the BTS Army fan club also regularly comes under fire for supporting the boy band.
The “Koreaboo” phenomenon in the US is an indication of this prejudice and discrimination, according to researchers at Sogang University in Seoul. Although Koreaboo is a derogatory term referring to people too obsessed with Korean culture, it is now widely used in the US to describe K-pop fans.
“K-pop fans attempt to distinguish themselves from the Koreaboos out of self-defence,” researcher Marisa Lilette Luckie said during the “K-pop beyond BTS: Media technology, creative industries and fandom culture” seminar at Yonsei University, Seoul, last week.
