In South Korea, K-pop fans have it made showing their love and support for their boy band and girl group idols. Either it be voting for them on variety music competition shows, purchasing their merchandise, or attending their concerts, the majority of what K-pop idols give are local thus making access quite easy.
In the United States, K-pop fans have to improvise to truly make an impact showing their love for their boy band and girl group idols. This Holiday Season, they went all out in showing such love by renting billboard space in times square in New York City.
Thousands pitch in for Kang Daniel's birthday
This month, there are so far two instances in which U.S. K-pop fans showed their love for their idols through billboard space in Times Square. The first is with Kang Daniel. The Wanna One member celebrated his 22nd birthday on December 10, 2017 EST. Thousands of fans donated money to buy an ad lasting seven days starting on December 4, 2017 EST to December 11, 2017 EST.
The ad includes footage of Kang Daniel from Wanna One's music videos and promotional photos. Finally, the fans included a message which read, "Truly, Madly, Deeply, Happy Birthday to Kang Daniel."
A.R.M.Y. shows love for Jimin of BTS!
U.S. K-pop fans showing love for K-pop idols through Times Square ad space in New York City did not end when Wanna One's Kang Daniel's ad ended.
A.R.M.Y., the official fan club for BTS who are also known as the Bangtan Boys, Bulletproof Boy Scouts, Bangtan Sonyeondan, and Beyond The Scene, shown love for Jimin with 11 screens dedicated to the K-pop idol.
The ads started on December 10, 2017 EST and lasted the whole day on screens provided by NASDAQ and Thomson Reuters.
Chinese fans even set up a special end-of-the-year event to show support too. They left encouraging messages like, "You've Done A Great Job This Year!," "Love You!," and "Well Done!"
Will other K-pop acts be featured?
Now that Kang Daniel of Wanna One and Jimin of BTS were featured in Times Square in New York City, many K-pop fans are wondering if other K-pop idols, or possibly K-pop acts will be featured too.
It should be noted the fans were the ones who made their feature possible. Ergo, it will be up to the fans themselves to see their favorite acts and idols appear on the big screens in the Big Apple.
To be frank, K-pop acts will continue to be featured as long as K-pop continues to grow in popularity in the United States. Both EXO and Twice were featured previously during a time when K-pop wasn't as big in the U.S. as it is now. Therfore, we can expect to see more K-pop promos alongside Broadway plays and brand name products.
