Eyes Writing Yun June Ho (Columnist)
Recently, the public learned another coined word: the so-called Delivery General. The General is a somewhat known expression. When Idol Singer, supported by Idol Singer's fandom, announces a new song, they call their collective behavior a 'total attack' in terms of listening intensively or purchasing it to raise the ranking.
However, Delivery gunman appears in the opposite form. It is a form of damaging related albums and MDs in order to withdraw support for a specific Idol Singer, and then returning them to the agency with Delivery. At this point, it is worthy of being called the Delivery Terror.
There is a saying that 'I am more afraid of a fan who is more changed than an anti-fan'. It means that if the fans who have been following every move in the meantime turn their backs on the anti-fan, they will turn into more scary and powerful anti-fans than anti-fans who raise their voices. What does it mean to have fandom turn against Idol Singer?
#marriage announcement is a taboo by Idol Singer?
The times have changed a lot, and unlike the past when the release of the fact that the dating was directly hit by entertainment activities, fans have become more supportive of the beautiful love of stars. Idol Singers, whose young fandoms are mainstream in their teens and twenties, are also relatively free to engage in reasoning, but simple fellowship and marriage are different in meaning. The marriage announcement is still considered a taboo for Idol Singer.
Chen, a member of the group EXO, was at the center of controversy, announcing her premarital pregnancy at the same time as the announcement of marriage in January. As a member of the top-level Idol group, the announcement of marriage is also surprising, and the title of 'Dad' is attached and the fans are confused. Amid the ongoing demand to "leave Chen from EXO," the fans' opposition grew even more as SM Entertainment, a subsidiary company, said, "There is no change in members." The phenomenon that has become angry fanatic is Baro 'Delivery General'.
Delivery's general secretary started earlier this month. The EXOel Ace Alliance (EXO-L ACE and EXOel), which consists of members of a paid fan club demanding Chen's withdrawal, issued two statements in January and February, saying, "Leave Chen." After that, there was no movement, and the level of the offensive was raised by Delivery. EXOel members damaged the goods associated with Chen, then put them in boxes and sent them to SM Entertainment. The Delivery contained articles such as "Kim Jong-dae (Chen's real name) Leave", "Try to the back door of the absence SM" and "No risk of destruction". When SM Entertainment returned without receiving Delivery, EXOel members changed Delivery Company and sent it back to Delivery.
Even EXOel members advertised some bus routes connecting Chen's hometown of Siheung and Ansan with phrases asking for withdrawal. In the case of a bus advertisement with the phrase '# We draw__CHEN_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Outdoor Advertisement Act does not permit advertising that is concerned about human rights violations targeting certain people.
Super Junior, a senior Idol Singer who belongs to an agency like EXO, has also experienced similar things. In 2014, member Sungmin joined the military after musical actor Kim Sa-eun and marriage. After that, fans who felt betrayed demanded Sungmin's withdrawal, and his Super Junior activities have been greatly reduced. At the time, Sungmin apologized, "I did not think I could judge and act alone, so the answer was delayed." I apologized, "I decided not to participate in this activity with the desire that Super Junior's important album would be good."
Moon Hee-joon, a member of the original Idol group HOT, was also frosted with the announcement of marriage. He received criticism from many fans during his marriage process with girl group Crayon Pop So Yul in 2017. Fans were not honest because he did not disclose that his opponent was So Yul when he announced his marriage in November 2016, and he said he would "respond hard" to the pregnancy, but eventually pointed out that the "speed violation" was revealed. In addition, he said he would withdraw his support for Moon Hee-joon because of his attitude toward fans and his silent concerts.
Why are fans particularly sensitive to marriage? First, they think they are deceiving fans. Idol Singers treat their fans as lovers, not only in their usual broadcast activities but also in concert halls. This is more than a lover’s feelings, and without this feeling, fans have no reason to spend a lot of time and money and “fansy”.
In the case of simple companionship, you can return to the fans after breaking up, but marriage is an irreversible situation. Fans are not genuine in that Idol Singers, who have a family after a woman and marriage, sing a serenade of love to fans. It is also a great betrayal that fans who have decided that it was a lie that has been secretive of the process and have pledged consistent love to fans.
Another reason is for the “remain of the group.” EXOel members focus on Chen’s withdrawal, not on withdrawing support for EXO. It is difficult to recognize EXO with married members. Fans who oppose the overlay of the image of a married man on EXO, which still sells more than one million albums to be released, want EXO, which has been reorganized after Chen's withdrawal.
"The fandom is a different concept from the past fans who blindly chased their favorite stars," said an official from the music industry. "I do not want the whole group to shake because the fandom has been supporting a certain group since I was a rookie and I have been raising it together. That's why they are more attached and do skills like Delivery beyond the statement to express their opinions. "
No Idol without fandom?
Without Idol Singer, there can be no fandom that likes them, but most entertainment agency officials say, "Without fandom, there is no Idol Singer." Fandom is an indispensable element for maintaining the Idol group.
Let's look back at the music industry in the 1990s: Kim Soo-hee's Amo and Seo Taiji and Boys' I Know are all about the top spot on KBS 2TV's 'Kao Top Ten'. It’s a landscape that’s nothing strange at all. But let’s see the music industry these days. Is it possible for Jinsung's Andong Station, which has become the middle-aged Idol, to compete for the top spot in BTS's ON and KBS 2TV's Music Bank?
Previously, Kim Soo-hee and Seo Taiji and Boys were working together in the era of 'popular song'. Popular songs mean songs that can be recited by the unspecified majority of the public. The first verse of "Amo" "I want to cry today with your face in your heart" and "I know" "I know, I know, and if this night flows, someone has to leave me" was familiar to everyone. But can you call the first verse of 'ON' to middle-aged people at this point when BTS is commanding the world beyond Korea? How many people can confidently call the first verse of 'ON' among the 10s and 30s, not the fan club Ami of BTS by lowering the age?
In the end, “popular” and “K-pop” are different. If an unspecified number of songs are popular songs, K-pop has grown up based on fandom. Although not everyone knows the song, K-pop Singer, who has tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of fans willing to buy an album, come to a concert and buy a goods, creates tremendous added value and gets a strong vitality. The life's breast is the love of Baro fandom.
So let’s go back to the first time and ask the question: What does fandom mean to turn against a star? It’s not different from losing life as a K-pop Singer. If you go to a concert hall where a large number of K-pop Idol groups appear, such as Dream Concert, you can easily see that fandom has been formed for each audience area. When a group or rival group sings a song with a member of a following group, a certain area is quiet as if it were a fandom cheer. Here, the overwhelmingly fandom-bearing group is the prime star of the period: Imagine Idol Singer, who has no reaction in the audience. It is no exaggeration to say that the value of existence has faded.
There is, of course, conflict within the fans, too: not everyone can speak out; even in Chen's case, some of the EXOel members may respect his privacy and want to remain in the EXO. "Fans do not even like this situation," said a fan manager belonging to an entertainment agency. "Even if fans are united and cheered, they are reluctant to have other voices in the fandom about the presence of certain members." For this reason, negative public opinion about the members who have become the beginning of the controversy spreads more within the fandom. And considering that the Idol group based on K-pop has grown up rooted in fandom, turning back on fandom is a symbolic aspect of the group's difficulty in growing. "
Yun June Ho columnist