I’m posting in this subreddit to hear about actual Koreans’ opinion and not random people who know absolutely nothing of Korea and think anyone who listens to Kpop is a Koreaboo. Even though I know a lot of people here weren’t actually raised in Korea (since most people in Korea don’t use Reddit) so you might have a different perspective.
I’m a teenage girl who was born in Morocco and moved to France when I was 8. For years, I’ve never felt strong patriotism for my countries (unless you consider commenting “FRANCE/MOROCCO MENTIONNED” patriotism). I’ve never felt French or Moroccan. Everytime my relatives asked me: “do you feel more French or Moroccan” I hesitated for a long time and lied to say both at the end when I feel like I belong to neither. Everytime I go to Morocco to visit my relatives, I feel like a tourist. Now I can’t say much about France since I’m used to living here but I never identified with French culture that much either. Especially since I’m not ethnically French and wasn’t born here.
I discovered Kpop the moment I set foot in France. I was amazed. I always liked dancing and singing since I was born, and this was the perfect blend of both. The MVs were high quality and colorful, the songs catchy, the idols beautiful, talented, and humble. I enthusiastically and innocently explored Kpop for a year, as the little 8 year old I was, spending my time singing to Kpop songs. I even found a video of myself singing BLACKPINK’s Playing With Fire in the car lol. And so after a year I discovered Kdramas. Of course I was 9, so I was easily impressed but I loved it (now I slightly prefer Kdramas over Kpop)!!! During this year, I also wanted to become a Kpop idol I gave up 3 years later) so I started learning Korean in October 2020 at almost 10 years old.
And so for all 5 years of consuming Korean content daily, learning Korean (I’m currently at the lower intermediate level/B2), and learning Korean culture (I even started learning more about Korea’s history lately, but I’m still really lame), naturally I’ve developped a love for Korea. Yes, I’ve never lived or visited Korea, nor do I have Korean parents, so I obviously don’t know the culture as well as you guys, but I’d say I know more than the basics and I identify really well with it, and much more than French/Moroccan culture!!! You will probably accuse me of fetishizing Korea but I even teared up when some South Koreans said they’re not the same people as North Koreans and expressed disinterest for reunification.
Maybe I am a Koreaboo after all, even if I don’t really think I am, I just think I’m a person who loves Korea. I want to visit South Korea one day with my friend, or even live there for a few months if I have the opportunity before deciding if living there long term is a good option (I know Koreans discriminate a lot against foreigners). I also find it funny that moving to another country permanently, and adapting and loving its culture is admirable like my family did in France, but when it’s for South Korea or Japan it’s fetishization and not okay. But at the end maybe I’m the problem? I also wonder why people liking America or Europe, throwing in random words in the language, liking the women/men there, talking about how Paris is so beautiful and the city of fashion (all of this is okay for me) is okay but not for Korea? And it’s not even native Koreans who are offended usually but foreigners or Gyopos. Like you won’t die because a random girl said Korean men are hot?
submitted by /u/adyaism
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