Idol groups top teenage priorities

MBLAQperforms "This is War" from the group's fourth mini-album "100% Ver". during the 2012 Dream Concert.

For Kim Min-ju, a 17-year-old high school student living in Seoul, being an idol fan is an inseparable part of her identity. When she was in fifth and sixth grade, Kim was a fan of Shinhwa, one of the longest-surviving groups whose members are now in their 30s. Throughout time, her taste in K-pop stars changed from one to the other, but she's recently settled on Exo, currently one of the most popular male groups.

There were times when she was somewhat of a groupie.

"When I was in the seventh grade, my favorite idol group's entertainment agency was located near my school. So I would go there and watch them", said Kim, mentioning that she lost track of how often she would go.

Her journeys to idol shows were also long and arduous.

"Every Saturday 'Show! Music Core' would be recorded at the MBC Dream Center in Ilsan. I went there on Friday evenings several times and stayed up all night", said Kim.

Although waiting in line overnight is prohibited by most fan clubs, fans stand in line for hours for music shows, sometimes beginning at the crack of dawn. The recordings, where most stars announce the release of their new albums, are one of the few opportunities avid fans get to meet their favorite celebrities. Most of them, including Kim, make those journeys and repeat the waiting routines several times.

Kim admits being an active fan is difficult, but it's hard for her to imagine a life without K-pop stars.

Song Ji-eun, an 18-year-old Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School student, has been a fan ofMBLAQ's Yang Seungho for four years. Right now, she says that she is in a transition period of shifting her focus to another idol group, Boyfriend.

When Kim was in middle school, she was obsessed withMBLAQ. When the band performed, she would take the first morning bus to arrive near the broadcasting station. She would then run from the bus stop to be the first in line and would continue to wait for more than 12 hours until the show began taping. During that wait, she skipped on meals and filled her stomach with water.

"I even went to the 'Idol Sports Contest', but my parents disagreed, so they called the police and the police tried to find me", she said.

Her best memory is whenLee Joon, the main singer ofMBLAQ, had his birthday.

"There was an autograph session for fans, and of course, I went there. I gave him a present that cost 20,000 won, while some other fan, who was an adult and had the ability to spend money, gave him a present worth 800,000 won. That night,Lee Joon's coordinator updated a photo of the present I gave him on his Twitter, sinceLee Joondidn't have one. I was so surprised and marveled at that photo".

Song said she became a fan for different reasons.

"People can like another person, but that doesn't necessarily lead to being a frantic fan", she said. "I became a fan because I wanted to be rewarded for liking Seungho".

Song said the notion of fans having low academic scores because they devote their time to idol groups is not necessarily true. Song recalled a time whenMBLAQ's manager said she could have a blind date with Seung-ho if she goes to Seoul National University.

"I've never felt so determined to study in my life. So I did my best in all my studies, and my GPA is quite high right now. I was able to possess the ability to study for a long time from that occasion. I kind of thank myself for being a fan, which caused me to study more".

Song's emotions are tied toMBLAQ. When they hurt, she hurts. She also gets upset ifMBLAQmembers are forced to wear uncomfortable idol outfits or style their hair in a strange way.

Ms. Kim, a 46-year-old mother of a frantic fan, said, "I really hate seeing my daughter intrude on other celebrities' privacy. Can't she just leave the idol groups alone and focus on her own studies?"

However, what celebrities think about teenage fans isn't negative at all. An entertainment corporation stated: "A teenage fan means being part of a group of people that accompanies idol groups. They are those who idol groups can grow along with".

BY OH JIN-SUNG AND PARK JUNG-WON[[email protected]]