A K-content exhibition booth, operated by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), greets visitors at Lotte Shopping Avenue in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 20. Korea Times photo by Lee Gyu-lee Enthusiasts connect at K-pop cafes, merchandise stores By Lee Gyu-lee JAKARTA, Indonesia — The global spotlight on K-pop is no longer surprising, with major acts like BTS and BLACKPINK firmly established in the international music scene.
Among its expanding global fanbase, Indonesia has emerged as a particularly enthusiastic market for Korean cultural content, especially K-pop. The country's growing enthusiasm for Korean music and culture has made it a crucial destination for K-pop artists, who now view Indonesia as a key stop for their concerts and events. “Four years ago when COVID-19 hit, people started watching more Korean shows and other content which significantly boosted their interest in K-content and music,” Nixie, an 18-year-old fan, told The Korea Times, Aug.
17. “Most of my friends, including me, have become a K-pop fan, and we go to concerts and collect (favorite K-pop stars’) photo cards and other merchandise,” said Nixie who is also a daughter of the owner of a K-pop-themed café, Ta-de-o, located in South Jakarta. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, Indonesia had the second-highest percentage of people who reported experiencing K-pop, at 88.
6 percent — just about one percentage point lower than Malaysia's 89.7 percent. This enthusiasm isn't just limited to K-pop but extends to fan culture throughout the city with a number of K-pop-related cafés and shops.
Ta-de-o regularly organizes fan events, including K-pop artist-themed cafés, sing-along parties, and concert viewing gatherings. A poster for a K-pop event featuring ENGENE, the fan group of the boy group ENHYPEN, at Ta-de-o in South Jakarta, Indonesia / Courtesy of Ta-de-o The trend of hosting birthday café events for celebrities, a popular practice in Korea, has now made its way to Indonesia. At these events, fans create props adorned with the artist’s images, such as custom-made cup sleeves and postcards, allowing other fans to enjoy specially designed merchandise and connect with fellow admirers of K-pop stars.
“Many of the events are fans' (own) projects. To organize these fan events, they personally cover the costs for decorating the café and preparing the props,” the cafe's clerk Novi, 25, said, adding that the ages of the fans range from teenagers up to people in their 40s. “Fans will also have unboxing events, where they would unbox the albums together, and rent this space to watch K-pop concerts on a big screen together as if watching a live concert at the venue.
” The café also collaborates with local companies, such as the entertainment news outlet Kapanlagi, to host fan parties. In celebration of K-pop band ENHYPEN’s recent concert tour, it organized an after-concert party for ENGENE, the group's fans. Attendees gathered to enjoy the band’s music, play games, and win ENHYPEN albums and merchandise.
Novi also noted the rising interest in K-pop has led many Indonesians to explore different genres of Korean music. “Indie Korean bands like The Rose and Xdinary Heroes, as well as artists like George, have a pretty big fan base here. Because fans have a lot of interest in K-pop, they explore and also look for other interesting (Korean) artists,” she said.
The deep-rooted love for K-pop in Indonesia has economic implications as well, highlighting the cultural wave's impact on the country's market. By May, a total of 25 Korean artist-related concerts and events had been held in Indonesia, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Of these, 16 were concerts for singers, which is four more than during the same period last year.
K-pop Station, a K-pop merchandise store located in South Jakarta, Indonesia / Korea Times photo by Lee Gyu-lee Ratu, who works at KOCCA’s K-content exhibition booth on the ground floor of Lotte Shopping Avenue in Jakarta, said she feels more people are showing interest in K-pop. “This opened around 2022 and I could feel that the interest in K-pop has been really growing,” she said, Aug. 20.
“On weekends, we get about 200 to 300 people visiting here per day.” To cater to local fan culture, the city also features various merchandise stores where fans can purchase a wide range of products and albums related to their favorite stars. K-pop Station, with three locations in the Jakarta area, provides a wide array of merchandise for K-pop fans, including photo cards, key chains, stationery, albums, and clothing.
“Most of our customers are in their teens to twenties. Our most popular products are typically albums and key chains,” a 20-year-old employee, Putri, said, Aug. 17.
Rere, another employee and a fan of ENHYPHEN, said she spends about 2 million rupiah ($130) on average on K-pop per month. K-pop concerts held in the country range from 1 million to 3 million rupiah depending on the type of seat. “I usually buy ENHYPHEN’s merchandise.
I bought their albums and photo cards,” she said. “During COVID-19, a lot of Indonesians watched ‘I-Land’ (a survival music show that featured ENHYPHEN). As a result, the group has a large fanbase here, especially among teenagers.
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