Abstract

The rapid spread of k-pop in our country has made a great impact on our people. More and more
students in our school are being influenced by the groove and rhythm of k-pop music. K-pop fits
in our generation particularly in the 21st generation which has already accepted the K-pop
civilization. Most schools in the Philippines has also been exposed to k-pop music, dominated
the school itself. K-pop generation is caused by globalization through the use of internet. That is
why most of us people are updated in the happenings in our world. And like many other
organizations in the internet, organizations’ regarding K-pop is one of them. Facebook, Twitter
and many other are social networking cites where group of people in favor of K-pop are taking
over. We had made questions concerning about what are the psychological effects of k-pop and
will it affect the academic performance in the students in our school. We gathered concepts
regarding pop culture (how pop music is accepted and talked from the people) and fandom
theory (how fandom was utilized and enacted throughout people) to further analyze and to
complete this research. The respondents were NNHS k pop fans. This study will contribute for
better understanding of people about the significance of k pop on the fans, and how it will affect
k-pop fans’ lives.
Chapter 1
Introduction
“Music can change the world because it can change people” – Paul David Hewson (Bono).
Music is now a part of many people’s lives and some even say that life is meaningless without it.
In our generation, many people are dependent to music. It is evident that mood changes
according on what genre of music they were listening to and these genres include; pop, jazz,
rock, slow rock, RNB, hip-hop or rap and many more.
K-pop fits in our generation, particularly, in the 21st generation that has already accepted the K-
pop civilization. Our School has been exposed to K-pop music; it dominated the school. Even on
morning assemblies like exercises. K pop generation is caused by globalization through the use
of internet. That is why most of us people are updated in the happenings in our world. Moreover,
like many other organizations in the internet, organizations’ regarding K-pop is one of them.
Face book, Twitter and many other are social networking sites where group of people in favor of
K-pop are present. They are free to express their feelings in these sites.
What is K-pop? It was referred to as the Korean Pop Music, which originated in Korea. K-pop
music is now viral in the Philippines. It captures the attention of many people, especially on
teenagers. We are curious on how people interact on this kind of music. We want to know how it
affects the academic performance of students. Does it have psychological effects to the listeners?
Can it change the personality of a person? This pushed and inspired us to do such research
regarding K-pop music. The research is all about the effects of k pop to Naguilian National High
School k pop fans.
Background of the Study
Since the advent of media, there has been an influx of ways and opportunities for fans to express
their admiration for a popular narrative or text. Fans send fan letters through snail mail, or visit
their idols on shoots and productions. Now especially with the dawn of new media such as the
Internet and cell phone, the audience and the fans have a faster avenue to express their thoughts.
After an episode of a drama series aired, fans would rally online to talk about their thoughts on
the recent episode minutes after the broadcast. Andrejevic’s study on the productivity of online
fans found that viewer thoughts on an episode can change the way writers and producers create
future episodes. Through different media, celebrities, and broadcast programs are now more
reachable for the fans. It is the same way that even fans from one country can access media
content from another country. The world has become borderless, and media and fan activities are
just two aspects of globalization that brought about the openness of the world. Therefore, it is no
surprise that even a Mexicana named Thalia and four chinky-eyed men from Taiwanese group
F4 captured the hearts of the Filipinos. Marimar and Meteor Garden were game-changers in the
programming landscape of the Philippines and created a cult following among Filipinos. Their
penetration in the mainstream media and the openness of the Filipinos to foreign media products
brought upon the Korean Wave in the country. Since 2003, Korean dramas have become a staple
in Philippine television. Studies show that the Philippines were only one of the many shores that
the Korean wave, also known as Hallyu, affected (Alanzalon, 2011).

Hallyu is also known as the Korean Wave. It covers many facets of Korean culture, but many
believe it started in 1992, with the debut performance of Seo Taiji & Boys. Lee Soo-man, a
former Korean entertainer turned businessman who witnessed the group’s groundbreaking
presentation, immediately saw an opportunity and said that, “Made in Korea should be stressed,
and we should market music as cultural commodities”. At the height of the 1997 Asian financial
crisis, the Korean government passed a law devoted to bolstering the arts and dedicated at least
1% of the entire state budget to culture. The enactment of the 1999 Basic Law for the Promotion
of Cultural Industries might well be the official birth of the Korean cultural wave. Today, after
the success of H.O.T., Super Junior, Big Bang, and even Psy (whose phenomenal Gangnam Style
video has been viewed over 3 billion times on YouTube), BTS is taking on the world by
smashing every US record for a K-pop band. Nowadays, the girl group Momoland is also
marking the K-pop landscape with their catchy Bboom Bboom, whose dance challenge has
become viral in the Philippines. (Han, 2018)

Research Problem:
How K-pop influence Teenagers?

Statement of the Problem

Objectives of the Study
1. To be able to know how K-pop influence Filipino teenagers’ lifestyle.
2. To be able to understand why K-pop is influential to teenagers.
Specific Objectives of the Study
1. What is the profile of the respondent in terms of:
a. Age
b. Gender
c. Fandom
2. To be able to know how K-pop influence Filipino K-pop fans’ social life.
3. To be able to know how K-pop affect Filipino K-pop fans in decision-making.
4. To be able to know why Filipino K-pop fans are hyping over K-pop despite the language
barrier.
Significance of the study

The findings of this study could strengthen and contribute to the studies on the appreciation of
Filipinos on foreign media contents. Furthermore, it is an update on the studies of phenomenon
produced by Medias and the formation of fandoms in the Philippines based on novelty and fads.
The research firmly believes that through this study, the Filipino K-pop fans may gain perception
about the expansion of fandoms and consumption of K-pop media content. Hence, they will start
to realize that K-pop greatly influences not only their academic performance at school but also
"their" and social lives.

Scope and Delimitation of the study

This study focuses primarily on how K-pop influence the Filipino K-pop fans’ lifestyle and how
influential it is to Filipino fans, mainly, students of NNHS.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Hallyu and its Origins
The term ‘Hallyu’ is a word that is Korean in origin. It is derived from two words ‘Han’
(Kor. Meaning “Korean”) and ‘Ryu’ (Kor. Meaning “Wave”). A present-day name, literally
meaning, Korean Wave (Deen, 2012). It generally describes both the flow and the popularity of
Korean popular cultural products, especially media contents, in other Asian countries and
beyond, as well as exported Korean popular cultural products themselves (Yang, 2012).
Originally, it was used to describe the popularity of Korean dramas in China (Deen, 2012).
Historically, K-pop had originated from a hybrid of American rock and Korean traditional beat
beginning from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. Talented Korean musicians like Shin Joong
Hyun created such hybrid music for Korean audience after he worked as an entertainer for the
American soldiers stationed in South Korea. In the 1960s and 1970s, his ‘new music’ was
popularized among the Korean audience. In the late 1990s, So Taeji and H.O.T, those offspring
of Shin Joong Hyung, entered China where the market economy achieved growth and prosperity.
For the Chinese audience, the early K-pop hybrid music of So Taeji, H.O.T and later TVXQ—
was more palatable than the original American rap music (Kim, 2012). Now it is the cultural
tsunami sweeping across the globe.
Hallyu in the Philippines: Then & Now
Recently, an influx of young Koreans to the Philippines to learn English—ensuring that
many malls now have instructions translated in Hangul to go with Chinese. There is a rising
popularity of Korean Culture throughout the world (Mogtortor, 2013). Though that does not
mean everything will begin and end with Hallyu, in truth, it inspires great devotion (Perez,
2014). The fans themselves see to it that with every bit of their power, they are able to support
the idols they love and adore. All of this is as a result to Hallyu’s influence in the Philippines,
economic growth can be seen in the near future.
A powerful facilitator of the Hallyu in Particular—is K-pop (or Korean-Popular) music
and dance (Kim, 2012). The growth of K-pop in the Philippines can be described as unique
(Hicap, 2009), since back in 2008, there has been no K-pop group/idol to ever come to the
Philippines—whether it is to have promotions, endorse or to conduct shows/concerts. Since then,
new idol groups were created by the K-pop productions, such as SM Entertainment and JYP
Entertainment. The American pop music, however, was introduced much earlier in the
Philippines. The Filipino musicians, who entertained American forces in Subic or Clark bases,
were much more adept in American jazz, rock, and rap music (Kim, 2012). Perhaps it is since the
Filipinos were exposed to American music early on that they somehow started to accept the so-
called ‘new music’-hybrid that the Koreans have made—and not only that, but due to it being a
cultural mix, is also perhaps another factor that adds up to what makes it so enticing.
Even though there is a difference in regional backgrounds between the Philippines and
the origin country of K-pop (Yia, 2012), there is still a surprising growth in its subculture in the
country (Deen, 2012)—a factor which makes the product so impressive. The fans of the Hallyu
wave in the country would naturally seek company from those who have the same passion as
theirs.
K-pop events being launched in the Philippines is usually more or less a grand success. Like the
2nd Philippine K-pop convention, which gathered five-hundred-thousand pesos (PHP 500,000)
for the Gawad Kalinga’s Bayani Challenge; successful fan gatherings and fan-meetings;
concerts; and recently the successful press conference held by 2NE1 in EDSA Shangri-la
Plaza—attracting thousands of fans to greet them before their concert the next day (Pao, 2014).
Behind the Scenes of the K-pop Stage
K-pop creates direct economic value and branding effects for Korea. K-pop’s songs, singers, and
fans provide opportunities for companies to develop new products and marketing strategies, as
well as new ways to broaden their markets (Seo, 2012). Of course, its success did not come
overnight. All of it is a result of methodical planning and execution—which can become a model
for companies that are setting their eyes upon the global market.
All this planning and such must come from even the basic stage of starting off a new star.
Ensuring that everything is moderate. In the preparation stage, K-pop’s major production
companies lay the groundwork for moving product overseas. The process is systematically
designed, starting with selecting prospective stars, putting them through a rigorous training
regime, producing shows and promoting globally. Training in particular is highly engineered,
with aspirants undergoing five to seven years of instruction in singing and dancing. Even after
this process, there is no guarantee of actually appearing on stage. Thus, only the best of the best
reaches the eyes and ears of the public (Seo, 2012). This ensures a certain competitiveness of K-
pop, making sure their product is good enough to catch an audience—a market. Perhaps it is
because of this competitiveness that gives the K-pop industry an advantage, with all the pre-
debut preparation they put their artists through, to the effort that’s exerted for every song and
performance. Everything has to be perfect enough to pique the audience attention and likes.
The Internet: A Powerful Facilitator
K-pop has a committed approach to raising customer accessibility over attaining short term
profits (Seo, 2012). This is where the internet would come in, playing a big role—the fans would
use this tool to look for [1] information regarding their favorite idols, [2] to socialize by joining
communities and social networking sites (SNS) and [3] to purchase Hallyu products in online
stores (Deen, 2012). These are opportunities and abilities that they would not be able to attain if
not for the internet. The Internet, being a part of mass media, is a vital factor in the spread of
Hallyu, its attributes contributing to the proliferation of the Hallyu. It can be understood that it is
mostly the youth who use the internet—therefore they would be the ones who are assumed to be
affected by the influence of Hallyu (Magtortor, 2012). Not only does the internet serve as a
communication tool, it now serves as the bridge between the idols, and their international fans—
making the internet play an important role in the K-pop world. Though it is not a direct cause for
the wave, no one can deny that it has a role in its expansion.

DEFINITION OF TERMS
This section is provided for the better understanding of the following terms which will be used
cohesively in this study:

Hallyu- Is taken from two Korean root words. “Han” (Korean) and “Ryu” (Wave) — combined
literally, “Korean wave” and refers to the cultural wave that’s sweeping across the
Globe (Deen, 2012).
Internet- [1] Is a vital factor in the spread of Hallyu, its attributes contributing to the proliferation
of the Hallyu (Magtortor, 2013). It is [2] a means of connecting a computer to any other
computer anywhere in the world via dedicated routers and servers. (BusinessDictionary.com,
n.d.).
Idol – a singer trained by an entertainment company marketed as an idol for the general
public (e.g.: Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, Shinee, SS501, U-Kiss). (Alanzalon, 2011).
K-pop- [1] Originated from a hybrid of American rock and Korean traditional beat beginning
from the late 1950s to the early 1960s (Kim, 2012). [2] K-pop is part of a broader trend
known as the Korean Wave and called “Hallyu” in Korean (Choe & Russell, 2012).
Mass Media- [1] One of the venues for consuming K-pop music and videos (Alanzalon, 2011).
[2] Can indeed breed new music genres (Oh & Lee, 2013).
Entertainment Company – the agency that manages the assets, schedules, and production of
materials of the K-pop artists (e.g.: YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, JYP
Entertainment)(Alanzalon, 2011).
Fan – a person with an intense enthusiasm or attachment to Korean popular music, videos
and artists (Alanzalon, 2011).
Fandom- is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and
camaraderie with others who share a common interest.(wikipedia.org¬)
Peers- A person who belongs to the same age group or social group as someone else (Merriam-
Webster Dictionary, n.d.).
K-pop Music Video (MV) – the official music video of a K-pop song originally performed by
a K-pop artist and produced by their official Korean entertainment companies. (Alanzalon,
2011)
Social Media-It is mainly the reason behind the spread of K-pop in Asia and expansion towards
Europe, the Middle East and the Americas (Choe & Russell, 2012).

Chapter II
Methodology

Research Design

The researchers used the qualitative method of research. This study is a qualitative
research since the study seeks to determine the impact of K-pop to Filipino teenagers in NNHS
and how influential it is to Filipino K-pop fans. The relevant information being gathered will be
u, to know more things that may help the K-pop fans realized and understand how K-pop greatly
influences not only their academic performance at school but also their personal and social lives.

Respondents

The focus of this study is on the Filipino K-pop fan community (teenagers who are also
studying) of different gender in order for the researchers to gather information and data.
A total of five K-pop fans were purposively selected around Naguilian National High School as a
respondent and participant in making this research study. One male with the age of seventeen
years old, and four females; ages are ranging from fifteen years old to seventeen years old.
Materials
The materials or instruments being used in gathering the data and information were
survey-questionnaires, pen, and smart phones, while the researchers used a laptop for data
analysis and evaluation.
Data Analysis
The data were analyzed on the basis of the objectives. Following the objective of the
study, this suggests in focusing more on the impact of K-pop to Filipino fans’ lifestyle. By this
kind of basis, it relies on the written or spoken words or by representation of individuals.
Data Gathering Procedure
In order for the researchers to determine the impact of K-pop to Filipino teenagers in
NNHS and how influential K-pop to their lives, the following procedures were followed:

1. Formulating of questions for survey questionnaires.

2. Preparing the survey questionnaires.
3. Setting the date and time for gathering data.
4. Looking for participants around NNHS.
5. Disseminating the survey questionnaires to our chosen participants or respondents.
6. Retrieving the survey questionnaires.
7. Analysis of the gathered data.

CHAPTER III
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
For the outsider, the unfamiliar spectator, the K-pop community may seem like an
arbitrary group of frilly young people. Thus, this kind of perception opens a need to describe the
influence of K-pop content and fandom of K-pop fans in the most accurate possible way, from an
insider point of view. According to the data gathered, Filipino K-pop fans are undeniably
influenced by K-Pop. Using the survey-questionnaires as a medium used in gathering data, four
out of the five respondents answered that they are watching or listening to K-pop music every
day. Three out of the five respondents are already 1-3 years being a K-pop fan while the other
two are going a year and more than 3 years as a k-pop fan. When it comes to lyrics and content
of the Korean music, they all state that it is appealing and they can all relate to it. When it comes
to online commentary/forum/live tweeting regarding k-pop, three said that they participate
weekly while the rest join monthly.
Table 1.
Aspect of the fan’s lifestyle that has been influenced by K-pop Respondent 1 Respondent
2 Respondent 3 Respondent 4 Respondent 5
Food 4 5 2 5 4
Fashion 2 3 3 2 1
Interest 3 4 5 4 2
Music Preference 2 1 1 1 3
Hobbies 5 2 4 3 5
This is the result of what aspect of a K-pop fan’s lifestyle has been influenced by K-pop by
labeling it from 1 to 5 where 1 is the most influenced while 5 is the least.

Majority of the most influenced by K-pop is the music preference, followed by

CHAPTER IV
SUMMARY, FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION