BTS and Black Pink Goods at Harvard University Library, the most prestigious...From glow sticks to photo albums, K-pop fandom collection will be established and studied [K-EYES]

*This content was translated by AI.

The K-pop fandom culture has become the subject of academic research at the most prestigious university in the United States. Harvard-Yenching Library has begun to build a collection that systematically collects and preserves K-pop goods from the 1990s to the present, Harvard Gazette, an official Harvard media outlet, reported on March 26.

From glow sticks to photo albums...History of K-pop in 17 Boxes

"The idea came from Professor Bu Chan-yong," said Kang Mi-kyung, a librarian at Harvard Yanqing Library's Korean collection. "We selected idol groups from the first generation to the present, and found things that could be obtained with vendors." The collection, currently in 17 archive boxes, covers more than 26 groups and includes everything created for fans, including concert goods, recordings, photo albums, posters, and more.

It was the "Korean Stars" class led by assistant professor Bu Chan-yong of the East Asian Language and Civilization Department that led to the establishment of this collection. Professor Bu emphasized that the history of merchandising by Korean stars goes back to the stardom of silent film narrators in the 1910s and 1930s. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, first-generation K-pop groups such as Seo Tai-ji, Children, and H.O.T. decorated magazine covers and posters, which became the root of today's global K-pop goods culture.

"The light stick is not just a cheering tool"

The object that attracted the most attention in the class was by far the glow stick. The Bluetooth glow stick, which has a unique design for each K-pop group, changes color in conjunction with the stage production at the concert hall. Professor Boo said, "Through the glow stick, fans are literally integrated into the visual spectacle. Fans truly become part of the whole performance," he explained.

The evolution of the glow stick has also become the subject of academic analysis. In the early K-pop fandom, their fandom was distinguished by balloons of different colors, but as technology developed, goods also evolved. Professor Boo said, "Fan goods are a very important medium in themselves. It is a channel that connects fans to their beloved stars at an extremely deep level physiologically and psychologically," he stressed.

Students Create Goods Directly with 3D Printing

Classes don't stop at simple theories. Professor Boo's "Korean Stars" class students take a direct look at the collection materials and perform the task of producing their own fan goods in 3D printing. Jenny Ng, a second-year economics student, said, "Learning and enjoying these niche topics should be the point of humanities education."

Part of the collection is currently on display in the Yanqing Library's family home library, and the entire collection is accessible through Harvard's online book list Hollis. However, actual reading is only available in the reading room through reservation.

Meanwhile, Harvard Gazette said K-pop has slowly permeated the consciousness of the American public over the past decade through Psy's "Gangnam Style," BTS, and Blackpink, and "Golden," the insert song of K-pop Demon Hunters, the most viewed animation on Netflix, has become one of the most frequently played songs on U.S. radio.

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*This content was translated by AI.