The one comment that fans of K-anything, be it Kpop, Kdrama, K-fashion, and so on hear most often goes along the lines of, “How can you possibly enjoy that, you can’t even understand what they’re saying?” If these fans got a dollar or even just a nickel for every time they heard that line, they could probably pay to fly to Korea and take Korean lessons in
Seoul. Considering most of these same people were singing along to PSY’s “Gangnam Style” it seems a little funny that they are so insulted by K-fans participating in something that’s not in English. People don’t seem to understand that just because learning other languages, especially ones like Korean, Thai, or Vietnamese, aren’t stressed in our school systems, it doesn’t mean that learning foreign languages isn’t stressed in other countries. According to the World Bank in 2015 the U.S was the leading economy based on gross domestic product and is has been since at least 1960, and before China took the second place spot it was held by the U.K for a long time. So, naturally, it would make sense that other countries would teach foreign languages, especially the ones that belong to the leaders in economics, to their student.
The same thing applies with Kpop and Kdramas. Firstly, there is, in most fans’ opinions, the obvious comeback of subtitles and translations. There are multiple sites dedicated to translating the newest, most popular, and most beloved songs into English so that foreign fans can learn them, and a lot of the music videos and Kdramas now come with an option to turn on subtitles. If the option isn’t there, almost any television show, movie, or online video that can be found, the same can be found with subtitles that were translated by a native speaker; in fact, more often than not the companies that run either the Kpop singers or the k-drama will have two channels made on YouTube and other social medias one with subtitle/translated and one without because the presidents of these companies are aware of the fact that there are foreign fans. The fact that foreign fans get so much consideration from these companies is probably one of the reasons that foreign fans don’t mind having to go the extra mile to understand the content that is being presented to them because, in turn, extra effort is being put into things just for them.
Also, a lot of idols and actors become fluent in English and other languages over time,
and some Kpop idols may only be half Korean and some aren’t Korean at all, so they spend time learning Korean. For example, the Kpop group Got7 is famous for having members from different countries like Korea, China, America, and Thailand. Kim Namjoon (Rap Monster) from famous Kpop group Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS) taught himself English when he was in middle school and received a perfect score on the English language section of the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). Some Kpop Idols are even known for their ability to sing full covers of English songs like “Stitches,” “Nobody Like us,” and “All of Me.”
Here are some other examples of Kpop Idols speaking not just English but multiple languages. English Videos
Lastly, there is an old saying that “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” There is no easy way to describe the lack of a barrier to someone who refuses to listen to an explanation, but it’s similar to trying to explain the existence of the wind to a small child; a person can’t see the wind itself, they can see the effects of it and they can feel it, but they cannot see the physical embodiment of wind. Understanding another language is the same.
A foreign fan may not understand any part of the language, but they can see the context clues in music videos, the passionate expressions on performers’ faces, and most of all they can really feel the emotion a performer is singing with. “I Really Didn’t Know” is known as a classic because of the sad love story it tells dating back to when China invaded South Korea, and lovers could only call each other with a whistle. The song tells the story from the perspective of a woman whose lover has either been called off to war or died in the war, yet she can still hear the sound of whistling because she never thought he would leave her (perhaps permanently in death), “[she] honestly, really didn’t know.” This song was covered by two members of the famous Kpop group EXO, and as they sang you could feel loneliness in their voices. The point was further driven in when the t.v camera panned around the audience to see most of them crying at the mix of touching lyrics and moving vocals.
Riding the Korean wave 