Korea — especially Seoul — is like Disneyland for K-pop lovers.

Besides concerts and official fan meetings, there are various unique and fun activities you can experience as a K-pop fan.

The best part? Many of these events are affordable or even free and open to everyone! So you don't necessarily have to buy expensive tickets or participate in raffles to enjoy K-pop while in Korea!

Here I'll share with you some of my top activities to do in Korea as a K-pop fan.

Mini fan meetings on the street

When idols are in the middle of their comeback promotions, sometimes they hold mini fan meetings on the street after the recording of music programs.

As these events are held in public places like parks, anyone nearby can watch them. They last from 20 to 40 minutes, and the artists usually play games, perform their new songs, pose for the cameras and interact with fans.

These fan meetings are normally announced through the group's official fan club app, like Weverse, Fans or Daum Cafe, one or two days before the recording schedule.

The best part of these kinds of events? They are free and are a great opportunity to get close to your favorite idols! Also, as many other groups are promoting at the same time, sometimes you can be lucky enough to even encounter the fan meetings of other groups while waiting for your group’s event.

University festivals

In Korea, it is common for universities to hold festivals featuring student and artist performances! This is the perfect event if you want to experience Korean culture while enjoying mini K-pop concerts.

In many universities, entry is free and open to the general public, so you can attend with your friends even if you are not a student!

Each university usually has an Instagram account where they post all the information about their festivals, from the artist lineup to the schedules and events happening throughout those days.

A pro tip from someone experienced in festivals, PSY is known to be the king of festivals and he usually performs in various universities every year. If you happen to be in Korea during the festival period, going to a festival where PSY is performing is a must! It’ll be one of the best festivals you'll ever attend.

Birthday cafes!

If you are looking for a way to celebrate your favorite artists’ birthdays, going to birthday cafes is one of the best plans! These events are prepared by fans in various coffee shops in different cities around the country, and they usually offer a special menu of drinks and desserts with the idols as a theme.

Sometimes, there are also albums and merchandise on display for other fans to take for free. Or activities and lucky draw events for fans to participate in after paying a small fee. There are some cases when the artists themselves visit the cafe and fans get to meet them.

If you want to know which cafes are holding events for your favorite idols' special day, you just need to write on X (Twitter) the name of the artist followed by the words in Korean “생일 카페”. Then the name and running time of the cafes will appear!

These were three of my favorite activities to do as someone who likes K-pop. Let me know in the comments section below if there is any activity you would like to try yourself! Or recommend me and other international fans some fun plans for K-pop fans!!

Thank you for reading! :)

BY DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ [gp.daniela@joongang.co.kr]