Exploring K-pop Fandom as a Space for LGBT Support in the Asia-Pacific During Pandemic Times

This research project addresses a significant gap in the current literature on the transnational reception of the Korean Wave by investigating how consumers from under-explored sexual minority communities (hereafter LGBT) participate in K-pop fandom. The project builds upon the Project Director’s previous work on LGBT fans of K-pop in Australia, Japan, and the Philippines to critically theorise how K-pop fandom provides consumers from minority groups with resources to both make sense of their gendered and sexual identities and fight their discrimination by mainstream, heteronormative society. Further, the project considers these questions in light of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic to provide insights into the role Korean popular culture has played in improving the mental health of consumers around the globe.