Surge in interactive K-pop idol events sparks savage second-hand trade

From hyped-up prices to poor experiences at fan meets, K-pop stars and bands’ increasing participation in the Chinese entertainment market is boosting a “savage fan business” that needs to be addressed.

The phenomena particularly emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic, as many fans in China embarked on a “retaliatory” pursuit of their favorite K-pop stars.

What should have been a joyful mutual interaction between fans and celebrities has given rise to an unregulated market for scalpers.

“Domestic fan signing events are too expensive,” Ling Ling (pseudonym), a K-pop fan, said that his idols’ first signing event ever in China “hit a staggering price tag of five figures.”

Meanwhile, tickets for a signing event of another South Korean popular band in China reached 50,000 yuan ($6,933).

Despite these exorbitant prices, experiences are not living up to expectations as many fans are complaining online.

“The schedule is very tight, and they keep rushing you at the event,” a fan wrote on Sina Weibo.

“Other interactions such as greetings, impromptu dances and gifts, which are common to see at the events in South Korea, are absent in China,” a fan nicknamed Paopao, who previously participated in a signing event for South Korean entertainment company YG’s band boy Winner, recalled.

According to public data, more than 20 K-pop bands, including popular groups such as (G)I-DLE, NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, IVE, and EXO, have held signing events in cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Macao and Qingdao. Just like writers’ book signing events, album signing events allow Chinese fans to get closer to their idols through personal interaction.

Signature scalpers are another issue. The booming market has given birth to another service: proxy signing businesses, where fans pay those at signing events to get their idols’ signatures and even get voice messages recorded for them.