ABSTRACT
As COVID-19 runs rampant across the globe, devastating many industries, entertainment has been particularly hard-hit. But Korean entertainment companies have adapted quickly to both generate income and connect fans with their favourite artists in new ways, the culmination of years of work to expand digital outreach, ensuring the industry is poised to make the switch when COVID hit. With a variety of live and pre-filmed interactive events and concerts, global K-pop fans ironically have more opportunity to participate directly in more events than ever before. But while online content has expanded access in many ways, it has also highlighted what it means to be a fan and to participate in a highly online, global fandom. This chapter uses a series of in-depth interviews with international K-pop fans who have participated in new, online forms of K-pop content to explore how the COVID-19 crisis has shifted priorities and access for fans.
