BTS songs are mostly in Korean. So how did women in their 40s, 50s, and even 80s become deeply connected ARMYs?

In this episode of Chasing K-pop, host Chase talks with Carol, founder of the BTS ARMY Over 40 Club, a global community of 5,000+ fans that began with a late-night TikTok post during the 2020 pandemic.

We explore how BTS’s music helped fans find self-love, healing, and belonging across language and age barriers. From navigating cancer and grief to creating real-world impact through fundraising and global friendships, these women show how fandom can become a powerful source of support.

This conversation challenges the idea that fandom has an age limit and reveals why BTS’s message resonates so deeply with older fans, especially during comeback and concert seasons.

What makes K-pop blow up in the West? We’re breaking it all down.

This episode wasn’t even supposed to happen. Over Christmas, I threw together a last-minute coffee chat in San Jose. And somehow, we ended up recording a full episode right there.

We dive deep into KATSEYE: why they’re dominating right now, how Korean fans really feel about them (spoiler: the reactions are wild), and whether they’re the perfect girl group for the algorithm era. We talk self-production, diversity, and LGBTQ+ acceptance, comparing how K-pop operates in Korea versus the West, and why some groups simply don’t translate globally.

If you’re curious about where K-pop is headed in America, this conversation is for you.

Topics: KATSEYE, HYBE, localization, K-pop in America, cultural differences, the algorithm era, girl groups

Hosted by Chase | Chasing K-pop

In this first episode, Chase revisits the questions behind her Genius article, “What’s the K in K-pop?” and sits down with industry professional Hwang to dig into the stories that never made it to print. From the quiet forces shaping today’s global K-pop strategy to the lived reality of being a bilingual fan, we explore why the ‘K’ is far more layered and visual than most people assume.

Is Korean truly the heart of K-pop, or have visuals become its real universal language? Let’s talk about the side of K-pop you’ve always felt but never quite had the words for.