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It is a well-known phenomenon in the Korean industry that fansites are always occupied following their favorite and desired artists to airports, concerts, and places where they make public appearances. They are also equipped with high-tech and high-definition cameras to capture their latest appearances in the best quality.
It's obvious that all the arrangements, from capturing their first and unseen appearances at various places to editing them, cost a significant amount. Posts about the issues related to the costs of photographing favorite artists by fansites are going viral on social media, where one fanbase has reportedly invested over $7000 just for capturing images of their favorite idols.
As a result, netizens are discussing it on social media, with one user wondering if they ever face financial constraints:
"Most collectors are really rich people": Fans discuss how these fansites make money
Recently, a post went viral on January 6 on the South Korean social media platforms The Qoo and Facebook, where several fansites shared a screenshot from Instagram's Question and Answer sessions.
In the screenshot, one unidentified NCT fansite revealed that they had once spent over $7000 in just one month in 2019, resulting in shocking reactions from netizens who questioned where these fansites are acquiring such large sums of money and how they are allocating their funds.
Another BTS dedicated fanbase shared that they had spent over $82,800 annually in 2018 and commented, as translated by Koreaboo:
"This is what I charged on my credit card, so it’s excluding my cash expenses. But while a lot of it was spent on running the account, there are some personal expenses included in the amount, too. So take it with a grain of salt, I guess. And to be safe, I’d like to explain ahead of time that this doesn’t mean fansites make a lot of money. That’d be a misunderstanding. Also, why would you assume that all of my money comes from my fansite operation? Just cutting off potential nonsense spewing from this."
As netizens became aware of the exorbitant amount of money they spend on capturing the latest moments of their favorite K-pop idols and actors, they were taken aback and wondered where these funds come from, suggesting several possibilities.
Many also questioned whether they could recover the money, while others stated that individuals with regular wages might not be able to afford such expenditures.
Some speculated that they are in contact with companies willing to pay a handsome amount for the latest pictures of the artists, leading to an intense discussion on social media.
Fans reacted as K-Pop enthusiasts reportedly invested over $7000 for photography:
Netizens feel K-pop fanbases should not spend such an exorbitant amount on their favorite artists as it would lead to the wastage of resources, while some believe the expenditure should be within a certain limit.
