Fan Call

In K-Pop fandom, a fan call refers to a one-on-one video call between an idol and a fan. 
They began during the COVID-19 lockdowns as a substitute for fansigns and have continued since, due to global traction. They typically operate as lotteries, requiring fans to buy a physical album for one raffle entry. If won, the calls are usually between one to two minutes, monitored by staff and sometimes with a translator present. Fans often receive signed merchandise alongside the call.
Fans usually use the calls as a chance to briefly chat, ask questions, show their admiration, or make the idol laugh. They are often recorded and posted online. Consequently, they have attracted controversy due to bad etiquette from fans, such as making inappropriate requests, flirting, general awkwardness, engaging in roleplay or attempting to educate the idol following cultural appropriation or discrimination controversies.
== Origin ==
The first group to hold a fan call was the boy group MCND, who hosted a "Meet & Call Fan Signing Event" on March 15, 2020.Tweet by @McndOfficial, on March 11, 2020 This was then followed by Sejeong and EXO's Suho on March 30th. It later spread to other groups, though it is largely a by-product of the COVID pandemic. Companies were unable to host fan signs, in-person events to meet idols and receive signed albums, so fan calls were the popular alternative.
== Controversies ==
Fan calls have often been criticized. With the proliferation of videos, some have gone viral due to being inappropriate:
=== Vernon's fancalls ===
Seventeen member Vernon has been the subject of many awkward fan calls, to the point that it has become a meme among K-Pop fans. The most infamous call being the one with a fan who threatened to arrest him for being 'too hot and having the right to remain sexy'. He visibly appeared to cringe.See this YouTube video, posted in 2023 He has also been asked to show his "six-pack" and rejected this request.See this TikTok, posted in 2023 Another fan spoke in a voice, self-described as "Kim Kardashian". He disliked this and asked her to stop. Due to the number of awkward fan calls, Vernon's calls have often gone viral.
Fans will often cite Vernon's calls as an example of 'what not to do':
=== Roleplay and sexual comments ===
Many fans have flirted with the idols on the calls and some will happily engage with this. However, some fan calls have faced criticism for sexual harassment or for making the idol seem uncomfortable. For example, Seventeen member Mingyu was asked to show his abs in a call by a fan, he rejected the request and hung up.SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu Hangs Up On Fan Asking “Inappropriate” Question During Video Call on Koreaboo, posted on December 29th, 2023 Several fans have tried to engage in roleplay. In a fan call with ZEROBASEONE's Ricky, one fan attempted to engage in a BDSM roleplay. She wanted to be referred to as 'master', with Ricky as a cat. He refused.“Literally Harassment”: ZEROBASEONE’s Ricky Refuses Inappropriate Request During Fan Call on Koreaboo, posted on November 29th, 2023 Another fan asked TXT's Beomgyu to act out an animal roleplay from a pre-written script or fanfiction.See this YouTube video
=== Educating idols ===
One trend that has become particularly divisive among fandom, is the practice of "educating", or informing idols in response to their own cultural appropriation or discrimination controversies. It is not uncommon for idols to make comments or actions that can be viewed as prejudiced or offensive. In some cases, idols are unaware that it has caused such offense to fans.
Some fans have used their time allotted in fan calls to raise their concerns, directly face-to-face, hoping for an apology, or to inform the idol in hopes of understanding. This has attracted controversy due to making the idol uncomfortable and the small time limit (1-2 minutes) not being enough time to raise nuanced concerns about (but not limited to) cultural appropriation, fatphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and others. Not to mention the language barriers on many calls and being monitored by staff members, who may end the call on behalf of the idol. 
Some incidents of this trend include Lisa from BLACKPINK. For a music video, she wore box braids, attracting criticism for cultural appropriation. A fan raised these issues on a fan call and Lisa apologized.Blackpink's Lisa apologizes over cultural appropriation accusations in video call with fan (2021) on Yahoo News Hendery from boy group NCT once wore dread wigs. It was raised on a fan call, but Hendery dismissed the question, asking to skip it.Tweet, by @ExposedNct, posted on December 9, 2020 Resulting in the viral hashtag #HENDERY_APOLOGIZE in an attempt to get the idol to acknowledge his actions.NCT/WayV Hendery Skips Question Concerning Racially Insensitive Weibo Post During Fan Call on KpopStarz, posted on December 8th, 2020 Another fan expressed concerns over fatphobia jokes made by group ENHYPEN and raised them in a call with Jake, who appeared at first confused. The fan wanted them to grow in response to their call and issues raised. See this YouTube video, posted in 2020
== Fan Comments ==
=== 2024 ===
=== 2023 ===
=== 2022 ===
== Further reading ==
*Young K-pop fans around the globe are dishing out hundreds of dollars to fund 90-second video calls with their favorite singers. We talked to 3 of them. (2023) on Business Insider 
== References ==
Category:K-Pop Fandom Glossary