Socio-Cultural
20111222_seoulbeats_dbsk_yunhojaejoong

Your OTP Is Not Real: Why Idol “Shipping” Has No Place In K-pop

137
Written by On December 23, 2011

It can be argued that the phenomenon of “shipping” — the fan-devised romantic pairing of one or more people or characters — is prevalent in any fandom culture, but it wasn’t until I entered K-pop that I realized the intensity and devotion with which some of these so-called “shippers” dedicate themselves to their favorite pairings. One would think that there would be some sort of stigma behind the fantasy-driven pairings between real-life people (as opposed to fictional characters in books and movies), but that clearly doesn’t stop many shippers from stanning their “OTPs” (“one true pairings”) to the death.

Shipping is a big part of K-pop fan culture, and its devotees run the gamut of casual shippers who merely think that bromance between their preferred OTP is just cute, to hardcore fans who genuinely believe that their OTP is real and will fervently argue against anyone else who thinks otherwise. Speaking objectively, shipping is a very strange phenomenon: why do fans take such extreme pleasure in obsessing over the interactions of two people and fantasizing over their possible romantic involvement? There have been multiple theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon, and many people have concluded that the reasoning behind the popularity in “shipping” is that it’s the manifestation of many fangirls’ personal romantic fantasies and a side effect of possible deprivation from real-life interaction with people of the opposite gender. Another popular argument explaining the popularity of male-male shipping is the female fascination with “bromance” and the idea of guys acting affectionately with other guys. This, then, launches into a whole pile of psychological theory that I’m nowhere near qualified to discuss, so we’ll just leave that at that.

Another point of controversy involving same-gender shipping within the K-pop fandom is the inherent contradiction between widespread homophobia within Korean society and the inherent pro-gay nature of same-gender shipping. The often-asked question is, “Why are Korean fans so accepting of shipping their favorite K-pop stars, but are so repulsed at the idea of homosexuals in real life?” Once again, this brings in a larger argument about the division between fantasy and reality within K-pop culture as well as the problem of homophobia within Korean popular culture, and is likely a discussion for another time.

But upon my observations of “shipping culture” within K-pop, I’ve come to believe that shipping — whether it’s between a gay or straight couple; whether it’s manifested as simple ‘bromance’ or an explicit sexual relationship — is a potentially harmful activity to both the fans and the idols in question alike. In regards to the fans, I believe that the idea of romantic fantasy in K-pop as a whole has the potentially detrimental effect of skewing the romantic views of its fangirls, and shipping culture plays a big part in this. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been a so-called “shipper” myself and have never been fully engulfed in the culture, but I don’t really see any deeper benefits in shipping apart from the momentary pleasure drawn from romantic fantasy…and that doesn’t sound like a very healthy way of thinking to me.

But the bigger and and often unnoticed problem at hand, however, is the effect of shipping culture on the idols themselves. The core of shipping culture is manifested by the forced definition of the nature of the relationship between two people — that is, the institution of shipping revolves around the idea that fans define the relationship of two people on behalf of those two people. For example, the whole idea behind the popular EunHae (Eunhyuk and Donghae) pairing is that fans themselves have defined the relationship of these two people as one with a romantic nature.

What many fans seem to forget, though, is that Eunhyuk and Donghae are real people who are entitled to define their own relationship for themselves. To put it bluntly, I think it’s kind of horrible that Eunhyuk and Donghae can’t have a normal friendship without awkwardly knowing that thousands of fans throughout the globe think that they’re screwing each other every night. Considering the hectic and chaotic celebrity environment in which they work and live, K-pop stars already have a hard enough time forming healthy relationships with other people. The mere existence of shipping culture only serves to further distort these relationships. And it certainly doesn’t help that fans take some sort of sick pleasure in shoving their preferred OTPs in the faces of their idols, regardless of the appropriateness of the situation. (YunJae fans post-DBSK breakup, anyone?)

The reason why I’m coming down so hard on shipping culture is because it’s a lot more harmful than what most fans seem to think. Imagine if your friends were constantly and unrelentingly pushing you to go out with one of your other friends, even though you have absolutely no feelings for that friend. Imagine if the friends of the friend in question were doing the same thing. What would become of the relationship between the two of you?  Granted, there’s a slim chance that this pressure might help the two of you realize that you are actually soulmates and you end up getting married and living happily ever after together. But more oftentimes than not, the pressure from these friends will effectively ruin your relationship. Multiply those “friends” by a million and throw in the romantically skewed nature of the entertainment industry, and you’ve got shipping culture defined to a T. I’m not one to speak on behalf of every K-pop artist who’s ever been “shipped,” but there’s got to be some harm done when a friendship between two people is being forcibly manipulated and skewed by magnanimous outside forces for the sake of fulfilling a fan’s fantasy.

Granted, the institution of shipping forms the base of K-pop fanfic culture, which has produced many beautiful works of writing and serves as a creative outlet for many fans. But it comes at a hidden price. Ultimately, shipping becomes a selfish and self-indulgent activity when real people with real feelings are the ones being manipulated for the sake of entertainment and fantasy. Shipping culture in K-pop has become so mainstream that it’s actually become a sellable commodity — the All About DBSK DVD sets have an entire disk dedicated to the various pairings within DBSK — and that’s an indication that things have already gotten way too far. Of course, shipping isn’t necessarily the worst thing that’s ever happened to K-pop, and it could be argued that “shipping” is merely another form of objectification inflicted upon K-pop idols.  But the fact that very little seem to realize its potentially damaging effects makes it an extremely dangerous phenomenon in it of itself.

(asianpopcorn, azachiaki, jjongfacts, asiapop bff)

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  • chacha89

    when you choose a path as an idol, this is one of the risks you have to take.

  • http://twitter.com/6002theMins changmin’s bish

    dropping by to say, YUNJAE IS REAL.. get over the fact that shippers exists. bye. 

    • R81

      ROFL… This gave me a good laugh. I don’t if you’re being sarcastic or a real shipper but  thanks for a good laugh anyway!

  • Anon

    Completely Non Value Added article-and people are still pondering about the merits, the realness etc-As long as Kpop exists shipping will exist and shippers will exist.

  • guestno987

    it’s not worst the shipping thing you say…you in yourself giving meaning to that..if you’re homophobic or anything that disgusted you keep it yourself they don’t mind it at all coz they know the truth themselves if its real or not…we are free to believe what we believe just don’t bother yourselves w/ others coz u just making fool of yourselves…u can’t tell anybody what to like or believe u know..just MIND YOURSELVES…duh ur making it a big issue…

  • “ANONYMOUS”

    da fuq

  • R81

    I think this “shipping” thing is a projection of how possessive many fans for their idols are…. It’s a subconscious mentality that says “If I can’t have him then might as well pair him with someone I like and non threatening to me (or to my fantasies)” thus shipping their idol with a fellow member. Surely, most fans really knows that their idols are straight so by pairing them with a fellow member that’s also straight and of the same gender, it somehow pacify their fear that their idols cannot have a girlfriend that’s not them. In a twisted way, it sends a message that says “It’s okay if my oppa has a girlfriend but that should be me, if not then hell I won’t let anybody of my species come close to my oppa/s”. In a perverted way, it’s like fantasizing that your two favorite oppas are in bed together but you’re in the middle… LOL!!!! Another thing, may it be a homosexual or heterosexual shipping, it displays the “ownership” mentality of many fans— they somehow feel entitled to control the lives of their idols, it’s like playing dollhouse and their idols are their dolls that can maneuvered into actions they (fans) want. Observe that these shippers bash everyone linked to their idols that’s not their stan’s “OTP”, that’s because shippers perceive them as a threat and someone they can’t control.

    Sadly and also brilliantly, Management Agencies of these idols saw this shipping mentality as a profitable venture thus they encourage it. We cannot blame idols for fan service because may be they were forced to it or maybe idols believe they need to do it to stay popular with the fans. Somehow I do disagree on some comment here that says that if idols don’t encourage it, it won’t happen. It’s somehow a symbiotic relationship for shipper fans and their idols, idols gets the popularity they needed and fans can feed their fantasies. Talent agencies are the one who actually benefits from all this “shipping” business…

    • Dat1flygirl

      I agree with your statement wholeheartedly. I have never understood this shipping issue and quite frankly find it disturbing. The whole “If I can’t have him then might as well pair him with someone I like and non threatening to me (or to my fantasies)” is completely ridiculous and rather childish. Regardless of whether or not these people are straight gay or bi, who are we as fans to force this farce on idols because we can’t handle them having REAL relationships with others.

    • Black_rose45000

      “I think this “shipping” thing is a projection of how possessive many fans for their idols are…. It’s a subconscious mentality that says “If I can’t have him then might as well pair him with someone I like and non threatening to me ”
      That’s true. I’ve read people saying they preferred their idols to be gay than with girlfriends because that would make them jealous and *gasp* heartbroken.”Observe that these shippers bash everyone linked to their idols that’s not their stan’s “OTP”, that’s because shippers perceive them as a threat and someone they can’t control.”That’s one of the things that bugged me a lot, and your explanation makes sense. Often the loss of control makes one (especially when that person is obsessed or fixated on something) become violent and insecure.”they need to do it to stay popular with the fans.” This is what I don’t get with idols claiming to be single to let fans’ fantasies bloom. It all sounds so extremely sad – though their fanbase is probably built in majority by superficial reason (good looks, aura, etc), it’s sad to think that they have to live with that “fear” of losing fans out of those stupid reasons. Or when, on varieties, guests and MCs joke about not saying bad things about the idols because they might anger their fans. Joke or not, I find it quite a disturbing mindset – it’s none of fans’ business who teases those idols, or who dates them. But it’s like you said, that “it displays the “ownership” mentality of many fans— they somehow feel entitled to control the lives of their idols”"Somehow I do disagree on some comment here that says that if idols don’t encourage it, it won’t happen. It’s somehow a symbiotic relationship for shipper fans and their idols”I agree with you here. It’s all a vicious circle. I watched Strong Heart the other day, and older idols told their stories about how they were practically forbidden to date because of “scandals”, and they sounded pretty sad about not having been able to see the person they liked at that time. So, if agencies hadn’t taken these measures, hadn’t worried about scandals, or if they wouldn’t do it nowadays, I can’t help but wonder if maybe people would get used to the idea and not be so possessive over their idols. Who knows. But it’s true, it’s a symbiotic relationship: fans get what they want, and in return, they give their idols what they need = money.Erm this turned out to be too long. 

    • http://twitter.com/justaleosfriend Lizz

      Generalization much? I ship couples because I like their relationship and I think there may be a chnace that they actually have feelings for each other. I DON’T ship them because I want them to myself. Seriously, stop making every shipper out to be the same. Everyone against shipping uses the same arguments and talks about every shipper like they are some crazed fan who doesn’t want their oppar dating some other girl.

  • Gabi

    This is how i put….i’ll ship whoever i want that makes me happy and if people are bothered or against it…well thats not my problem now is it?….unless that “couple” decided to admit & hear it from their own mouths that theyre dating someone else…then thats the only time i’ll stop…simple as that.

  • Homura

    Ok; let me say this first: I am a yaoi shipper. I shipped
    exclusively malexmale pairings (and some femalexfemale ones too). So, when I
    (finally) discovered an interest in k-pop at age 20, the shift from fanning
    manga/game/TV-based pairings to “real life” (note: ” “)
    pairings was natural.

     

    To bring a healthIER perspective to this phenomenon:

     

    One, not ALL of us are fanatics! The human race in itself
    runs a whole gamut on the scale of sanity; why shouldn’t we? It should make
    sense that some of us CAN actually indulge in shipping while maintaining a
    reality check. In my case, it’s the consciousness of the difference between
    their personalities onstage and real life; so that while one may fan, say,
    DBSK’s YunJae, one does not actually expect them to get it on in life (or will
    bat an eyelid at all if either shows up with his girlfriend). Heck; for all we
    know; some of these popular pairings may even hate each others’ guts in secret,
    and swap homophobic insults before doing their skinship for TV. It’s just that
    a number of us k-pop fans dream that so-and-so could’ve been lovers in an
    alternate world; and a minority are crazies (just like how they, too, represent
    a minority of any racial, religious, age or socioeconomic group).

     

     

    Secondly, what makes you think all of us are sad, lonely
    people with no life (or even female for the matter)? I know plenty of yaoi
    fangirls who have boyfriends/ girlfriends. Some are even happily married; thank
    you very much. While I haven’t interacted with a significant enough portion of
    the k-pop yaoi community, based on those I already know,it’s safe to say that
    this stands true for the world of k-pop as well.

     

     

     

    Third, if shipping two idols together is a twisted way of
    entertaining repressed sexual urges for them, then how….does that explain it
    for those of us who are actual homosexuals/ bi/ transgender ourselves?

     

     

     

    Still, I do agree that shipping IS harmful when it gets out
    of hand. No one has the right to interfere/ intrude on their personal life; let
    alone decide who these people have a relationship with. That some apparently
    can do it and call themselves fans is just bizarre. This includes those
    unnecessarily inflammatory photo shoots/ movies/ whatever too (kissing much?).
    The outcome of an industry built on supplying this can be nothing but misery;
    so it’s high time we k-pop yaoi fans stop feeding it.

  • http://seeeno.livejournal.com/ seeeno

    Wow, yet another person with a stick up their butt who takes everything too seriously. We know it’s not real but it’s cute and it’s fun and it’s harmless. Get over yourself and get off your soapbox.

    • Jona

      Look who’s taking it seriously now. The author was probably talking about serious shippers. The one who perfectly fit the article. You are probably a light shipper who doesn’t obsess about OTPs. You should chill out.

      • Queh_loveina

        Well if this was the case (to talk about serious shippers) then she should have made this point clear from the beginning. Why idol “shipping” has no place in kpop makes it sound like she’s making a generalization on shippers and shipping and not just serious shippers

  • Anonymous

    What annoys me is when you’re on Youtube and people comment on things that don’t even make sense.

    For example:

    Let’s say you’re watching a video of SHINee perform and Key is dancing in front of Jong Hyun. With sweat dripping into the Jong Hyun’s eyes, the man looks down for a second to discreetly swipe the stinging painful liquid out of his eyes, and then he looks back up. 

    Then you get fans who are all like, ‘zomg, jjong can’t resist his BURNING DESIRE for Key. Look at him checking out dat ass.’

    And then I am saddened by humanity. 

    • Black_rose45000

      THIS. SFM.
      Or when they go on about how the other half of their OTP disliked the video because of jealousy. Or they just have to assume one of them is jealous/angry whenever someone else comes in within 1 meter-distance from the other OTP half.

      Sad, really.

      • http://twitter.com/justaleosfriend Lizz

        People do it as a joke and it makes people laugh. -_- Do you seriously think shippers think their OTPs disliked the video? No. It’s done as something funny. People who take that too seriously are the only ones that would be butthurt by it.

  • Marie

    Shipping is for fictional characters (I do it) or something you do in private. There is nothing worse than fans who photoshops people into sexual/romantic situations and then embarrass the boys with it (Why am I thinking Yunjae here)…or scream the other persons name during concerts and press conferences (especially in the case of Yunjae, this is just wrong as the situation is right now and actually quite a selfish thing to do).

           “To put it bluntly, I think it’s kind of horrible that Eunhyuk and Donghae can’t have a normal friendship without awkwardly knowing that thousands of fans throughout the globe think that they’re screwing each other every night”

    This people is what ruined Yunho’s and Jaejoong’s friendship. At the start of their career they were like blood brothers and as time passed it just got akward (despite what delusional fangirls believe it was super super akward somtimes – and no it wasn’t because they were screwing each other day and night).
    … kind of ironic that the Yunjae shippers themselves ruined their friendship to a degree!

           “…the reasoning behind the popularity in “shipping” is that it’s the manifestation of many fangirls’ personal romantic fantasies and a side effect of possible deprivation from real-life interaction with people of the opposite gender.”

    This people, this is so true! Fangirls should just get themselves a real life boyfriend and to put it bluntly – grow up!

    BTW, that picture of “Yunjae” holding hands is photoshopped, very well done but still photoshopped, here is the evidence:
    http://s4.invisionfree.com/YunJae_Everlasting/ar/t2113.htm

  • Sarah Zm92

    I’m a shipper my self but I only ship 4 the fun of it but if one of my OTP gets a girlfriend or gets married that doesn’t mean that I will hate him .. I ship wishing that it is true because I feel they are true but like u said maybe it’s all a show .. And i’m with u on the point that some fangirls over do it .. It’s not really a good thing to photoshop sexual photos of ur OTP or bringing rated posters to their concerts .. U may ship and tell them that you will always support them no matter what without forcing the idea on them ..

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristin-Oldfather/575375784 Kristin Oldfather

    This was definitely needed! But many fans won’t care and will get angry anyways… but that’s alright. Delusional people can stay delusional for all I care.

  • Lizz

    This article. SMFH. There is really too much wrong with it to put it all in a comment.

    • Rachel

      my thoughts exactly…where to begin? 

  • Queh_loveina

    Can anyone give me an example of a shipper taking it to far…besides bringing explicited photos to their concerts( I can agree this can be awkward for an idol lol)  but I remember one said couple (Eunhae) picking up a n17 rated picture and seeming very amused by it

    • Black_rose45000

      I can’t give an example in Kpop, but J-pop – when KATTUN went to hold their concert in Taiwan, a bunch of fans held a hugeass banner with “Jin and Kame, plz get married!” regardless of the fact that gesture was unnecessary, I think it was even more upsetting because Jin had just left the band and things were pretty tricky at that point. Imagine the same thing happening to Hanchul after Hangeng just left (and these two seemed actually close, unlike Jin&Kame). IMO, that was taking it too far. But I guess these things can be debatable. :3
      And idols too, some are more lenient towards this stuff (like Eunhae, it seems), some, not as much – Yesung for example complained that ppl wrote about him kissing Wook, and why wasn’t it a girl instead lol. :)

  • Kamikapse

    Bullshit, idols aren’t forced to do anything.. and many of them are using the hordes of shipping fangirls to their benefit and are creating these situations.
    Making them out to be poor victims is laughable… I doubt they are actively forced by their management to do “couple-y fanservice” and they could stop at any point.

    All girls in k-pop are forced to wear skimpy outfits most of the time… they may not love it, but it’s part of their job and no one is crying over the negative effects and how they are persons who should decide for themselves how much of their body to cover up.

    Show business, and k-pop in particular has it’s rules… idols make their decision whether or not to take part in it.

  • Blossemcup4

    I wouldn’t call myself a shipper, but I do kind of enjoy seeing the close friendships between male idols. I don’t see it as a romantic relationship, just two people who are comfortable around each other. When I had first heard of shipping I didn’t really understand it (actually, I still don’t). I don’t think idols feel pressure to keep up the OTPs. At the end of the day, it’s their decision to play along with the shipping phenomenon; they can stop any time they want.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=533239200 Emmalee Kay Duncan

      I agree with you.  Every time I see two idols, like SungMin and KyuHyun, holding hands, I’m touched by how comfortable they are with one another.  My mind doesn’t zip to “OMFG KYUMIN IS REAL YOU GUYS LOOK.”  My motto on this is:  ”Two guys can be friends with one another and not be lovers.”  

      I get tired of the shippers shoving the couples down my throat all the time, as well. -___-

  • Anonymous

    ”
    shoving their preferred OTPs in the faces of their idols” Wait..when did this happen? :O

  • Garffle Luck

    It’s kinda funny considering most OTPs ship themselves. Jongkey, Eunhae, and Yunjae have always shipped themselves. TVXQ even did ‘Couple Talk’.. Jaejoong was really excited in ‘Couple Talk’.. Lol.. And younger Korean citizens are actually more tolerant of Homosexuality. It’s the older generation and the government that is the problem. Just like the USA. Most of us fans already know that holding hands in public is what most friends do in Korea, regardless of gender. We aren’t stupid, we just enjoy it a little more. Heechul even took a fanfic and replaced the names of the characters with Donghae and Eunhyuk. So they could be in love. It’s for fun. Just leave our couple fantasies to us fans and you worry about you.

    • Bio

      Have you seen AADBSK3′s Yunho/Jaejoong couple talk? They DID express their discomfort with ‘shipping’. So where the hell is excited there?

      • Garffle Luck

        If they were really uncomfortable about it then they wouldnt ship themselves in the first place. They may be uncomfortable talking about it, but that still doesn’t keep them from saying stuff like, “yeah, we are together.” even if it’s joking. If they were really uncomfortable with it they wouldn’t joke about it.. They’d be like Yesung who says it’s “gross”.

        • Bio

          Shipping is fun when it isn’t too much. But the YJ fans DID get too much. They didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and when they did… it marked a strain on their relationship (not the romantic one).

          • Garffle Luck

            You have your opinion and I have mine. Like Blossemcup4 said.. Couples can stop any time they want. But for YunJae it doesn’t matter anymore, anyway.

  • Black_rose45000

    I really enjoyed this article, it spoke my mind word by word. Though it’s true it’s all just a marketing strategy and maybe some idols have nothing against it. 
    I like how you bring up the point of things getting awkward between some of them – I experienced it myself with my male friends tons of times. But when it comes to idols, they know what they’re getting themselves into, and sometimes even indulge their fans (ex: Sungmin picking Kyu when fans asked him to, in idk what show) and it will depend on each and one of them, because they know that on-stage, during a concert, when they fool around or tease each other, those thousands of fans will be screaming not because they find them cute/funny, but because it caters to their fantasies.

    Other than that, since I’ve been in bot J and K pop fandom and had my share of meeting/watching delusional fans, I’ve always asked myself the same things as you: “why do fans take such extreme pleasure in obsessing over the interactions of two people and fantasizing over their possible romantic involvement?”
    I’m not talking about the ones doing it for fun, but those who are really hardcore. And yes, I agree this may be very detrimental to their sanity and social behavior. I’d like this to be analyzed from a more psychological POV though, to confirm or deny my affirmation.
    More than shipping though, I think fans’ fixated ideas that the idols can’t be dating/marrying is more worrying. These are people who need to open up and embrace society and be less selfish and whimsical, and worry more about themselves and build their own relationships instead. But Korean fandom/society seems to be based on that premise so there’s not much to do about it. Just leave it be and hope there won’t be many radical fans crossing the line when an idol decides to come clean about his/her love-life.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=533239200 Emmalee Kay Duncan

      FINALLY.  Someone who agrees with me completely.

      I have never been a Kpop “shipper” (can’t say the same for works of fiction, though :P).  I get annoyed by people who see, for example, DongHae and EunHyuk giving each other a bro-hug and are all like “OMFG EUNHAE IZ REALLLLLLLL.”  I’m just like “Dude.  Two guys can be friends and bro-hug each other without being gay for one another.”  

      The companies do bring this on to themselves.  They enjoy teasing fans with fanservice between members.  I’m just like, “Meh.  Whatever.  They’re just doing what their company/record label wants them to do.”  And, it is very hypocritical of them to be so “anti-homosexual” with regards to lifestyle, but the milk homosexual fanservice in Kpop groups for all that it’s worth.

      I think all the necessary hate on this article is pointless.  I’m rolling my eyes at the majority of comments on here.  I am just like “Okay.  You claim that ____ and ____ are together, and you are saying that we can’t say they aren’t because we haven’t seen them together.  ……..”  I’m just…amazed at the rabidness of some fans.

      Sure, I joke about how I’m married to my favorite idol/I only ship them with myself, but that’s all in fun.  I’m not actually serious.  I build my own relationships with men, and a lot tease me about my love for Kpop idols.  It’s just harmless fun with regards to myself.  But some people are DEAD SERIOUS about their OTPs.  OTPs are (apparently) srs bsns here on the interwebnets.

  • yeongwonhi

    FIRST, You’re not even a SHIPPER. How could you possibly have this kind of article? You don’t know everything about shippers to put this article up. You think so badly about the shippers, and if you call yourself a fan be more open-minded.

    SECOND, there is what we call evidences honey, shippers don’t make these but the Idols themselves.

  • YH_Lovely

    oh..so you have talked to Yunho and Jaejoong?..I don’t think so..You can’t say they are not real when there is still a possibility of our otp being in a relationship together. They might not be..but there is still that possibility. You just sound like a person that is homophobic tbh :L NOT everyone in the kpop entertainment is straight and the blame should be put on the idols themselves as they are the ones who basically start it.

  • laptop101

    LOL.

    Srsly? You obviously know nothing about these types of things, do you?  

    Idol shipping is brought about by fanservice? Who do you think does the fanservice? The idols, duh. If it wasn’t for fanservice, shipping wouldn’t exist. Well, it probably would but not to as how it is today. And, for the effin’ people who says this can affect the sanity of a person, i effin’ pity you. I srsly do. WHO DO YOU THINK GOES TO CONCERTS? DERANGED LUNATICS? how dare you guys. 

    ROTFLMFAO. Get a life and write about a better topic. Yeah, get flamed. Burn. 

    Being a shipper is AN EFFIN PART OF OUR BEING FANS, idiot. WELL IF YUNHO AND JAEJOONG OR EVEN EUNHYUK AND DONGHAE WERE SO EFFIN DISTURBED, WHY THE HELL DO THEY DO FANSERVICE?

    If you’re going to write an article, go interview the concerned idols to back you up. Oh yeah, and ask them if they’re leading to insanity as you have so pointed out in a psychological aspect.

  • fhsjd111

    Let them be. Leave the idols alone, leave their fans alone. I’m also a fan though I don’t exactly ship a particular OTP in my bias group. However, I do understand the fans’ and this article’s point. So just let them be because none of us really know what’s happening within these kpop groups. 

  • wita pawitrasari

    it is showbiz consist of show and business 
    it all about money guys
    see all the chance to make more money 
    fans are potensial market 
    fanservice is one of many way to make fans go crazy even when the idols stop doing fanservice fans already crazy with all ‘fanservice’
    make them forget being in fans position 

    i like yunjae.  i wanna see yunjae  together profesionally -brothership way instead of   to be together in lovebird way
    let me know when them back together again 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/AWFIU4U5KUVOEEL4MJ2N2A7FEA Flaming Charisma

    Shut up. K-pop is for entertainment. Shipping is entertaining. Nobody is forcing the idols to read fanfics. It is completely harmless, and the idols often bring it upon themselves for more attention. Just look at Super Junior…some members have kissed other members full on the lips, and the fans love it, and in turn they do it more. Sadly, it IS sort of a viscious cycle, but fangirls enjoying their OTP interactions within their minds isn’t going to hurt anyone. You don’t really know what you’re talking about, making the whole thing seem like some sort of scientific issue.

  • Anonymous

    omg!!.. if u think shippers r presumtious den what wud u call urself???.. how can u be sure dat none of the otps are real??.. i mean i’m not here to make u believe in them and make u start shipping them , but the way u hav put ur words make me cringe. I get it that some people are not comfortable with the entire shipping thing specially the boyxboy and girlxgirl pairing . but be honest if it were a girlxboy pairing then u’d be sooo shipping ur hearts out.. i mean korean industry literally creates new couples.. Who would hav even thot of khuntoria or youngseo or adam couple??.. korean industry itself began dis so u hav no rite to blame fans and call dem delusional. Seriously if idols really had a problem with it then they would not go over the line to just do fanservice!!.. they are comfortable with it and the fans are happy with it too so let them be. ps:u asked about yunjae fans post break up rite , well i’m one of them !! until and unless u hav a shippers heart u will never be able to understand the meaning of shipping so don’t even try explaning and criticising it!!

  • jae-an bowen

    I totally agree with 
    YAngchenYAshodaTamang,couples like eunhae,yunjae shipped themselves from the beginning and still do(well eunhae) so please don’t blame the fans.

  • http://twitter.com/kitty_k4t Katja M.

    Thank you! Finally someone said it!

     I imagine my male friends constantly being told they are gay or they should get together …those idols really gotta have high toleration when it comes to that. I mean yeah those guys are sometimes way more touchy than I would expect guys to be with each other but then again ppl actually want them to be and even if they aren’t ppl already “ship” a pairing just cause OMG!  They once looked at each other! …

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/P4ZSUYNPUIRG7OCJAG3CTPDETM Bazinga

    lighten up, shipping is just for fun. and have you seen how kpop guys act? they’re the ones fuelling the kpop shipping culture. if eunhyuk and donghae don’t want to be shipped then they shouldn’t be groping each other in public (a lot of people say that in korea guys are just more touchy with each other then western guys but…. korean guys are THAT touchy-feely.) 

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