cr: ohgelie
UK K-Pop fans have experienced meeting more idols than I have ever expected to see this year. 2011 has seen the likes of many Korean celebrities from Rain to SHINee come from events, concerts or sightings in our country. No-one could have missed the chance to see any one of these artists, could they?
비:
Kit Lee and Rain at the MCM Event
cr: cloudusa
Rain arrived in London without much word to the media – in my opinion it was quite secretive – but his sighting at a club and news of the Knightsbridge MCM Event in London a day beforehand urged more than 50 fans to see him on January 25th. Some fans bought merchandise from the store to take a photo of Rain and get him to sign it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3PvRNkrk5Y&feature=player_embedded]
cr: ratoka06
장근석:
Not sure when the specific date was that Jang Geun Suk arrived in the UK but this photo was taken in Brick Lane, London on March 20th for a photoshoot.
cr: Aire_Trent @ Suk Baidu Bar via. jangkeunsukforever.com
IU:
cr: MYNC
IU also came to London for a photoshoot and was greeted by a few fans on her arrival to London Heathrow on April 4th.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HolBFkrPL2g]
cr: IUBUNNY from WeHeartIU
샤이니:
cr: myjinki
What still strikes me as odd is SHINee’s Japanese debut at Abbey Road Studios but they were still greeted by 800 fans (as the Korean media says) with many seeing their first Korean idol on June 19th and going crazy at the sight of SHINee.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvUBVpsf5eM]
(Eng Subbed) cr: jujutaem
Dok2:
cr: karmaent
Koreatown, the Facebook group in charge of London Kpop Night events, organised their first concert with K-Hiphop artist, Dok2. A number of fans went to his concert in Elephant & Castle on July 24th. For anyone who doesn’t know Dok2, he has feature in many of your favourite idols/artists songs e.g. Jay Park, Hyuna, Epik High, Drunken Tiger (TigerJK) etc.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXeJ6sNYtYQ] cr: soompi
하지원:
cr: dramabeans
Ha Ji-won arrived in London on September 15th and busily visited research facilities such as Oil of Olay and popular beauty shops. She even directly interviewed women in the streets to find out about the latest beauty trends.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_b6khtttvs&feature=related]
cr: jiwonderland0628
이효리:
Lee Hyori came to London for the second time on September 28th (the first one was in 2008) for her latest fashion shoot with ‘Cosmopolitan‘ magazine along with London Fashion Week.
cr: oneasiaa
Eunhyuk:
From our previous article, we posted that Eunhyuk had been spotted at an Arsenal vs Chelsea football match on October 29th. He met fans outside and signed autographs as well as took pictures with them.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epZ8MMNAyWo] cr: jaytwowoos
샤이니:
cr: K-Pop Express
The week before SHINee came, UK fans were in turmoil. Some were buying tickets for the long awaited United Cube concert in London since August, some bought tickets for Music Bank Paris. SM Entertainment sprung on K-Pop fans the chance to go to SHINee’s mini concert before the opening of the Korean Film Festival on November 3rd. Odeon’s site crashed with many people trying to get their hands on tickets, some had to go to the Odeon to buy the tickets. The concert was an obvious success and was to encourage K-Pop fans to go to the film festival.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ugIdEdBqA] cr: PP2pinkyTOP85
빅뱅:
“November 6th, 2011. The day all the fandoms came together, didn’t fight, and accomplished something huge and life changing not only for five men, but for the fans who look up to and love them.” – y0ochun
“We are a family. Regardless what fandom we belong in, what artist we support, when it comes to Kpop, we are one.” – sapphirechul
It was a great day for not only VIPs but K-Pop fans around the world. They have made a breakthrough in history on the MTV EMA’s in Belfast winning the Worldwide Act beating out the likes of Britney Spears.
United Cube:
cr: koreanclassmassive
What was expected by most K-Pop fans as a few hundred people to attend due to the price of the tickets turned into a success with over 3,000 fans coming to United Cube especially around Europe, many fans attended from countries such as Sweden, Turkey even Singapore. At the O2 Brixton Academy on December 5th even though it was a 2 hour concert, United Cube fans enjoyed it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k70uA1DZY_I]
cr: alwaysbeast
With the Hallyu Wave spreading, K-Pop is slowing gaining popularity and UK K-Pop fans are finally getting a taste of seeing their favourite artist. A year ago, I told myself I would never be able to attend a K-Pop concert and that I’d have to save money to visit Korea instead. But this year, I’ve been able to attend as many as I can and seen various artists before my eyes.
I know I’m not the only one.
Who knows what will happen next year? Maybe we will get more concerts. This is only the start.
