Right alongside the growing (and glowing) K-Pop and Korean entertainment industries is another booming business: Photography.
A “fansite” photo of TWICE’s Nayeon. | @nyfor922/Twitter
Now well-known worldwide as “Fansites,” these dedicated forces of photographers follow their favorite K-Pop idols, actors, TV personalities—and even pandas…
The First Panda Born In South Korea Is So Famous, She Even Has Her Own Dedicated Fansite
…to take, edit, and sometimes sell pictures taken from all angles at all moments.
What does this mean, though, cost-wise? Fansites, especially the “named” (more popular) ones, are attending all of the performances, all of the events, traveling all over the world, and often at the pricier sections of the audience for better visuals on their targets. It can’t be cheap, can it?
A fansite photo of BTS’s V at the airport, meaning the fansite followed him to the airport. | @_nuna_v/Twitter
In a viral post resurfacing online, some idol fansites have answered the question via Instagram Q&As. When asked about their expenses for operating the platforms, these fansites shared their bank statements, revealing the shocking amount of cash spent each month!
One NCT fansite shared, back in 2019, that they charged ₩9.70 million KRW (about $7,380 USD) on their credit card in the month of December alone.
| theqoo
[Ask Me Anything!] When I think of fansite masters, I assume they have a lot of money. And it makes me feel like they’re too different from me. How much does it cost you to operate?
— Curious Fan
Another shared their 2018 annual statement, recorded at a whopping ₩109 million KRW (about $82,800 USD)…
| IdolIssue/Facebook
[Ask Me Anything!] Hey. How much money do I need to become a fansite master? It probably costs a lot per month, huh?
— Curious Fan
…though they explained that it also included non-fansite expenses.
This is what I charged on my credit card, so it’s excluding my cash expenses. But while a lot of it was spent on running the account, there are some personal expenses included in the amount, too. So take it with a grain of salt, I guess. And to be safe, I’d like to explain ahead of time that this doesn’t mean fansites make a lot of money. That’d be a misunderstanding. Also, why would you assume that all of my money comes from my fansite operation? Just cutting off potential nonsense spewing from this.
— Fansite
Most of the time, fansites and their work go more appreciated than not—for fellow fans of the celebrities who want good pictures and videos of their biases.
Some, though, are more problematic than others. Check out the ones who caused quite a scene at the 38th Golden Disc Awards held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Korean Fansites Gone “Batsh*t Crazy” And Violent At The 38th Golden Disc Awards
