This article examines how anglophone K-pop fans negotiate the resonances and frictions inherent in transcultural fan engagement, focusing on fans of the K-pop group OnlyOneOf. Anglophone fans celebrate OnlyOneOf for creating what they understand as a queer safe space within K-pop. They identify with what they see as OnlyOneOf's bravery in sharing queer narratives and LGBTQI support in the face of what many anglophone fans perceive as the conservatism of the K-pop industry and Korean culture. Discussions among anglophone fans of Korea's conservatism and homophobia heighten fan appreciation of and commitment to OnlyOneOf and to K-pop more broadly. Fans find parallels between the issues faced by OnlyOneOf and fans’ own experiences in their home cultures and in fandom itself. Moreover, often these ambivalent narratives resonate with larger discourses within K-pop media that emphasize overcoming adversity and becoming your best self despite obstacles. Thus, even ideological friction between anglophone fan values and their perceptions of Korean cultural values can fuel fan investment. Anglophone fans articulate their perception of South Korea as an imperfect place, but one that has allowed them meaningful self-growth and that is personally dear and powerful to them. This understanding of South Korea and K-pop fandom as imperfect imaginary homelands motivates some anglophone K-pop fans to visit or even migrate to South Korea and others to engage with Korean popular culture deeply but from afar.
Louisa Stein (Sat,) studied this question.