The K-POP FANDOM FAMILY TREE

WHAT KIND OF KPOP FANS ARE YOU??
Any idea where exactly you fit in ?

If there's one thing anybody notices about Kpop fans, it's probably the fact that K-POP fans have one the most unique subcultures of fandom ever created by any type of music in the world. It's not as simple as just being a fan of Girls' Generation or Super Junior. Within the fandom of these groups lie a whole bunch of different types of fans. An each one of us falls into at least one category. Here's how to find out your K-pop fan personality:

Oppa Fans
Oppa (older brother) fans are by far the most well-known type of K-pop fan. Korean men have this penchant for wanting to be called oppa by younger girls and younger girls have this liking for older guys they can call oppa, so it all works out. These fans are characterized by their singular devotion to at least one girl group member. And if that one girl group member would just call him oppa in a casual conversation, this fan could probably die happy.

Samchon Fans
Of course, if you have the brothers, you can't forget the uncles. Samchon means "uncle" in Korean and these comprise older males who are still fans of girl groups. They often give gifts of medicinal snacks and herbal remedies to the girl group they like and are always primarily concerned about the girl group's health, thus always telling members "Please take care of your health".

Noona Fans
Noona fans are the girl equivalent of oppa fans and all girls fall into this category. I have never met a female fan that preferred to be called an "auntie fan". These fans often have qualms about being a fan of such young boys because stereotypically, girls like older guys. However, this hasn't stooped noona fans at all. The most famous case would have to be Rain. Rain's fan base is composed of some of the biggest noona fans in the world! Some of them have been reported to throw their underwear on stage and hold placards saying "Let noona take care of you!".

Cosplayers
Now these types of fans, we have a lot in the Philippines. Cosplayers are K-pop fans who would like nothing better than to dress up in the exact costumes that their idols wear during their different promotions. Although they love the music as well, cosplayers appreciate the style and concepts of K-pop more than anything. They find that they enjoy K-pop the most when they can dress up as their favorite K-pop idols and can just show everyone how awesome they look.

Sasaeng Fans
These are definitely the craziest of the crazy. Sasaeng literally translates to  "life and death" in Korean and is used to describe stalker fans. These sasaeng fans will wait at the doorstep of their idols for as may hours as it takes just to get a glimpse of them. They also hire special taxis that follow their idols around during the idols' busy schedule in hopes that when the idols stop for a break, they can hand them a gift and possibly even get a quick chat in. Sasaeng fans are definitely one of the most unique products of K-pop in terms of fandom and are considered the combination of a regular fan and paparazzi.

Bandwagon
Bandwagon fans are those who don't really have any set fandom. These fans keep up with the trends of K-pop and are fans of whoever is trending at the moment. Because of this, bandwagon fans are often calles poser by hardcore K-pop fans and are sometimes disliked. However, bandwagon fans usually invest heavily in K-pop merchandise, if not more than regular fans because they're always trying to keep up with whoever is latest.

Babies
K-pop babies are those who are relatively new to the K-pop scene and usually focus on just one group, their fandom. This is the most critical time for K-pop fan because it can make or break interest in K-pop as a whole. If a K-pop baby is unable to find enough material such as music videos, variety show guestings and interviews of their favourite idols, chances are their liking for K-pop will not take root and it will be very short lived.

article courtesy by Myx Magazine )