Well, isn’t this year a fruitful year for K-Pop fans in Indonesia? Almost every month in 2017 had a K-pop event! Let’s wrap up this year with a recollection of those events.
We have gathered a dashing number of 22 events; consisting of nine concerts, five fan-meetings, five events from Indonesian and Korean government, and three personal performances.
Let’s check out the list below:
13 January – [FMT] Park Bogum’s Asia Tour Fanmeeting
18 February – [CON] GOT7’s Flight Log: [TURBULENCE]
GOT7 held the first concert in 2017 after the fanmeeting of K-Drama lovers’ heartthrob, Park Bogum.
14 March – [GOV] Super Junior Leeteuk on Indonesia Korea Business Summit
07 April – [FMT] Seo Ji Seob’s TWENTY: The Moment
29 April – [CON] BTS’ WINGS Tour
Indonesia was one of the earliest countries BTS visit for their WINGS Tour, delighting many fans who were ready for the most anticipated concert in the first half of 2017.
06 May – [PERF] Sungha Jung on University of Indonesia’s Korean Culture Day
20 May – [FMT] Lee Dong Wook’s Asia Tour, For My Dear
21 May – [GOV] Red Velvet & Eru on Seoul Talk Concert
15 July – [CON] CNBLUE Live Between Us
29 July – [FMT] VIXX Fan Meeting Tour SEA
June was the Ramadhan so it was cleared off any K-Pop related events, but hey, they are back in the second half of the year with more packed schedule.
09 August – [PERF] NCT on Spotify on Stage
12 August – [PERF] Epik High on We The Fest
18 August – [GOV] Girls’ Generation Taeyeon & Hyoyeon on 2018 Asian Games Countdown
Let’s talk about Korean artists invited to overseas schedule which audience is not only the niche K-Pop lovers; the invitation itself is an achievement! And yet, in August there were 3 of them invited to Indonesia, moreover, the scale was as big as the Asian Games Countdown event.
[170809] NCT127 – Good Thing at SPOTIFY ON STAGE in JAKARTA.#NCT #NCT127 #SPOTIFYONSTAGE #SPOTIFY #SPOTIFYID pic.twitter.com/AYp4ksyk6o
— JOAN (@JohannaAurellia) August 12, 2017
26 August – [FMT] DAY6 Live and Meet
02 September – [CON] KBS Music Bank
KBS Music Bank was back to Indonesia after its first act back in 2013 with K-Pop 2nd generation of idols. This year, they have brought rising and popular names in the idol world: EXO, GFriend, BAP, NCT, ASTRO, and of course the MCs Park Bogum and Irene.
03 September – [CON] G-Dragon’s Motte: ACT III
Two of BIGBANG’s members, G-Dragon and Taeyang, came back for their almost routine concerts in Indonesia; having big and royal fanbase, their concerts are always on demand.
04 September – [GOV] Super Junior D&E on Korean Brand & Entertainment Expo
23 September – [CON] Seventeen 1st World Tour Diamond
170923 Diamond Edge in Jakarta – Still Lonely @pledis_17 #SEVENTEEN #SVTinJKT
I miss you alreadyㅠㅠ pic.twitter.com/v1YN32d29s
— 크루스닉🦋 (@crusniknuna) October 3, 2017
13 October – [CON] Taeyang’s White Night Tour
09 November – [GOV] AOA on Experience Zone Pyeongchang 2018 & Fan Signing AOA
25 November – [CON] Saranghaeyo Indonesia
27 November – [CON] Hyukoh Live in Jakarta
2017 closing concerts are the annual multi-artist concert Saranghaeyo Indonesia and indie band Hyukoh’s first visit to Indonesia during their first world tour.
Ever wonder how the fans keep up with the overflowing K-Pop events happening every year? Well, compared to a few years ago, fans nowadays save up as far as a year before to buy the ticket when their favourite artist finally visit Indonesia. The trend is now shifting from “Oh no my fave artist is coming and my wallet is not ready” to “No worries, I have been ready even before you announce the dates”. Of course, there are a lot of people holding giveaway, and some just saving up personally, but do you know that some K-Pop online shops also open “Concert Savings” services?
Also, every fandom has their own fanbases who arrange fan support and event for a concert or fan-meeting, and also meetups and cover dance competitions for the sake of getting together and indulge in the fandom atmosphere. So, even though K-Lovers in Indonesia are sometimes seen as niche and unique and even looked down upon, fret not, the community are always evolving.
So, how was it? Did you enjoy your 2017?
Did we miss any event you love? Please share and let us know. Stay tuned to our 2018 K-Pop event prediction! Happy New Year~
Correspondent: ARI