K-Pop fandom's practices and activities are a primary productive force, instrumental in shaping the genre's immense global appeal, as well as its cultural influence, politics, and future potential. Over the last thirty years, the K-pop fandom has grown, intensified, and diversified, while its activities have taken on new social, technological, and economic manifestations, some of which are exclusive to K-pop and others that align with the broader cultural and industrial dynamics of global mass entertainment.
In this lecture, Areum Jeong will explore the phenomenon of performing deokhu—a Korean term connoting an "avid fan"—and the cultural significance and meaning of K-pop fan practices with a nuanced examination of contemporary audience power.
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K-Pop Fandom: Performing Deokhu with Areum Jeong
Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 6:30 PM (EST)
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
About the Speaker:
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Areum Jeong is an Assistant Professor of Korean Studies at Arizona State University. She holds a PhD in Theater and Performance Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, MA in Performance Studies from New York University, and BA in English Literature from Ewha W. University. She is the author of Beyond the Sewol: Activist Theatre and Performance in South Korea and the Diaspora and K-Pop Fandom: Performing Deokhu from the 1990s to Today. |
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