K-pop fans flex muscle, keep star out of group

NBC News quotes Stephanie Choi, postdoctoral associate in the Asian Studies Department, in an article about a K-pop star who was suspended from a band after being photographed kissing a woman. Many Korean and Chinese fans “actively participate in the idol-fan relationship by purchasing hundreds of album copies and meeting idols in person at events, heavily investing their time, money and effort into the partnership, which increases the idol’s brand value,” Choi said. That investment, she said, can translate into power over the stars.