BTS: US$3.5 million Proof album purchase shows V’s fans in China are undeterred by Beijing’s K-Culture crackdown
- The group purchase of more than 170,000 copies was made on the first day of the release of BTS’ new album ‘Proof’ last week
- Beijing has been tightening its grip over the domestic consumption of South Korean content and fandom culture in recent years
A Chinese fan page for one of the members of South Korean sensation BTS spent an eye-popping 4.5 billion won (US$3.49 million) in a single day to purchase the boy band’s newest album, suggesting K-pop supporters in China are undeterred by Beijing’s crackdown on Korean entertainment and fandom culture.
The group purchase of more than 170,000 copies was made on the first day of the release of BTS’ new album, “Proof”, on June 10.
“V Bar”, the Weibo fan page that consolidated and carried out the transaction, posted a series of cash receipts of the purchase, which was double the previous record set in 2019 for a cross-border order by the Chinese fan page.
The bulk purchase also amounted to nearly 1.5 per cent of the total of South Korea’s exports of K-pop albums to China in 2021. Last year, the total export amount stood at US$41.5 million, 2.6 times higher than the previous year, according to the Korea Customs Service.
Korean entertainment fans in China have not lost their enthusiasm because of the government’s suppression
“Korean entertainment fans in China have not lost their enthusiasm because of the government’s suppression. In fact, I feel like Korean entertainment is attracting more and more people recently,” said Stella Li, a 21-year-old university student in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun.