By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nistha Thapa Shrestha from Nepal

It's common for fan clubs to engage in philanthropy by giving generous donations to good causes. However, when it comes to K-pop fans, they're taking an active part in giving back to their community, and Nepal's K-pop fans are also doing their bit.

The year 2018 marks the sixth anniversary of Exo, a famous Korean boy band. Therefore, Nepali fans of Exo held a fundraising campaign and raised nearly NPR 70,000, about USD $640, for good causes. With the funds that were collected, the fan club was able to provide a new uniform to 125 students at the Koshrang Asdharbhut Vidhyalaya school in the rural village of Dhading in Nepal. “It's hard to express how I felt when I saw the faces of the students waiting for us with delight. It made me forget all the hardships we had to reach there,” said Samriddhi Baidya, one of the fans who went to the school in Dhading along with another five members of the fan club.

This was the second time for members of the fan club to visit the school. The first time they went was for the fifth anniversary of Exo, when they donated stationery and writing supplies to the students. “Seeing the worn-out uniforms of the students, we decided that we should donate uniforms on our next visit,” said Asha Basnet, another member of the fan club.



When Korea.net expressed its amusement at them being able to raise such a sum of funds, even when most of the fans are still students and have limited pocket money, the members said that the fans are all very willing and generous, and enjoy being able to do something for their community. They told Korea.net that a number of fans transferred money to them as donations, while many other fans met with them in person. Even some Nepali K-pop fans who live abroad contributed wholeheartedly to the cause.

Loving and adoring a Korean pop band or a favorite star is one thing. However, meeting new friends who feel exactly the same way as they do, and being able to share their love for the genre and have a fun time with each other, is another side to the story. These Nepali K-pop fans simply wanted to give back to their society, from which they received the beautiful friendship that bonded them together over K-pop, and share the serenity that they found in the music. “We all became friends due to our love for K-pop and we are extremely thankful for it,” said Ritu Thapa, an administrator for K-pop Community Nepal.

K-pop fans are known to be very devoted to their pop groups, and they express it as often as possible by helping out with different worthy causes as part of their fandom. I was pleased to meet all three extremely passionate K-pop fans and had an amazing time talking and listening to their experiences and future plans. K-pop is surely more than just music. This subculture is thriving here in Nepal and spreading love and happiness all around the world.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.