Idol Culture Enters the Soccer Scene... Controversy Over Fans Reserving Seats for Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in

Among idol fans, the unspoken rule of 'reserving spots' is common. It is a culture of securing a place to see the idols they support more closely during commutes to and from work. This rule has recently started to gain popularity among some soccer fans, sparking discussions.

Fans who reserved their spots from the day before for the men's national soccer team's open training day. Please note that personal information such as phone numbers has been pixelated.
[Photo by Online Community]

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On the 7th, a post titled "Chaos over bringing the disgusting idol culture into the soccer scene" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "At the national soccer team training ground, fans are reserving spots a day in advance, following the idol culture of 'spot reservation,' to get autographs and photos from the players."

In the photos posted by Mr. A, a piece of paper with the words "Spot reserved" and a phone number is seen on the ground, presumably in the parking lot of Goyang Sports Complex, where the men's national soccer team open training day is scheduled for the next day (the 8th). It was even confirmed that a wooden chair, typically used for stepping on, was left behind entirely to hold the spot.

A netizen tore up all the papers of fans who had reserved their spots from the day before for the men's national soccer team's open training day.
[Photo by Online Community Archive]

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Mr. A criticized, "Maybe because if someone tries to take the spot, they end up fighting among themselves, idol fans acknowledge spot reservation like that," and added, "But I went out and tore all of them down. I hope they don’t bring idol culture into soccer." In a follow-up post, Mr. A also shared photos showing all the "Spot reserved" signs removed.

Netizens who read the story criticized, saying things like, "Don’t bring idol culture into soccer," "Why force such a bizarre culture on soccer players," "If you want to get autographs, at least stand all night with effort," "This is why I can’t give up on entertainment stocks," and "In sports, skill should come first, why treat it like idol fandom."

On the other hand, some netizens responded with comments such as, "Fans are free to do their fan activities however they want," "Such a culture might actually boost the players’ morale," "If I were a player, I’d be happy," and "There was no real problem, so why tear them down?"

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