Ever wondered what the best gifts for K-Pop fans are? Thinking about it, it may be hard to point out a group of people more dedicated or frenzied over a cause or a superstar than how K-Pop fans go for their favorite stars. Korean fans, in particular, are known to be next-level passionate over their idols, but much of that extends to fans of K-Pop all around the world.
That’s why below, we’ve compiled a neat list of gifts that will delight your fellow K-Pop lover. In addition, you may also find awesome gifts for your friends who are currently learning Korean and would appreciate a present related to it. Whether you want a gift around a specific group like BTS or a more general one, we hope this list has got you covered.
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Best gifts for K-Pop fans
Coming up with the perfect gift may be difficult. Often fans eagerly buy much from K-Pop groups’ official merch stores. This K-Pop merchandise can be newly released CDs in hopes of improving charting positions and possibly gaining entries to events like fan signings.
It can also be tricky if the gift-givers aren’t knowledgeable about the industry and their friend’s favorite K-Pop group. Of course, you could always ask the friend directly what they might like to get. But what if you want it to be a surprise?
Right here, you can find the items that are a must-have for any K-Pop fan. Perhaps the next gift you give to your K-Pop-loving friend will also be found on this list.
K-Pop Lightsticks
This is a fantastic gift to give any K-Pop lover, regardless of their favorite groups. They’re not the cheapest item on the list, but there’s one available for just about any group or solo idol out there. Not to mention, a fan will be delighted to have more than simply one of them.
Thus, it’s a low-pressure gift to give, and it’s up to you to pick which one to get from all the groups your buddy loves, especially if you know there is a specific light stick they don’t have yet.
Light sticks are primarily a must-have item to bring with you to K-Pop concerts, but they also make for great decorations when they’re not in active use. Note that while it may be absurdly difficult to get official merch as light sticks directly from the fan club, you may be able to order one from places like Amazon.
Autographed albums
The next one would be autographed K-Pop albums. Interestingly enough, you won’t even have to look further than YesAsia to find an autographed album from your friend’s favorite K-Pop group.
Unfortunately, they typically only include one random member’s signature rather than the whole group. It may not be their bias, but even so, an autographed album. Even if your friend otherwise already happens to own the same album or even if they don’t play or listen to the CD inside, it is a valuable collectible for any K-Pop lover out there.
It’ll be even more special if your friend doesn’t yet have the particular album, so you may want to dive into their album collection before placing any orders.
If you are short on cash but want to offer your friend something unique and thoughtful, a cute pin may be the way to go. They can be easily found and purchased off Amazon, and your friend will happily add them to their clothes, bags, or even room decoration.
Season’s greeting kits
For Christmas, this particular type of gift would be exceptional. These kits typically come with a calendar for the new year, a monthly or weekly journal, and some small items, like posters, socks, stickers, or memo boards, related to preparing for the change of a year. Many people love receiving gifts like calendars and journals for Christmas and perhaps excitedly even purchase them themselves.
Thus, a season’s greeting kit is a magnificent gift to give; not only is it incredibly practical, but it’s also another collectible item a K-Pop fan will have of their favorite group. You’ll be able to find these kits at K-Pop Mart but be quick, as they do sell out fast.
An additional bonus of these kits is that they may also aid in learning some essential vocabulary related to journaling and months.
Photocards and a photocard binder
A recent trend item among K-pop fans is photo cards, which are a fun collectible, and in some cases, can also be resold as high-value items.
Your friend may have already started their photocard hobby and would be greatly delighted to receive another photocard set. Or you might get them started on a new hobby by getting them their first set of cards, perhaps by their favorite group. A photocard binder is, of course, a lovely and neat way to safely store all the cards together.
Giving your friend both a photocard binder and a set of cards to get them started on their collection would be such a gift to appreciate. You can find both of these items from Amazon, for example, by trying to find an album that comes with a set of cards.
Gift ideas for a Korean learner
How about if you are looking for a gift that’d appease a Korean learner without having to be especially related to K-Pop? Well, here are a few ideas!
A gift card for a Korean course
An excellent gift for someone desiring to learn Korean is access to a course or perhaps to a bookstore in the form of a gift card. For example, we at 90DayKorean offer a gift card with full access to our inner circle classes.
Our program is an excellent way to learn Korean quickly, efficiently, and, most of all, in a fun fashion. Your friend will not be the least bit disappointed to get a gift card for our 90DayKorean program – and neither will you if you choose to get one for yourself!
A Korean dictionary
Just because someone is learning Korean or interested in learning it doesn’t mean they own a Korean dictionary yet.
This can offer you the great opportunity to gift someone with interest in the Korean language with a dictionary the next time a birthday or a holiday season, like Christmas, rolls around. Even in the times of the Internet, a good old physical dictionary will go a long way, especially with a Korean learner dreaming of visiting South Korea one day.
Korean course books and other similar books
For this one, you may want to inquire about what types of books your friend might already have related to learning Korean. Once you know that, you will be better able to get them more learning material to help them move forward in their studies.
It may be the next course book in the series they’re following. Or you may also gift your friend some supplementary material, such as books focused on practicing listening, reading, or writing.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Fan | 팬 (paen) |
| CD/Album | 시디 (sidi) 앨범 (aelbeom) |
| Signature | 사인 (sain) |
| Handwritten signature/Autograph | 친필 사인 (chinpil sain) |
| Photocard | 포토카드 (potokadeu) |
| Light stick | 라이트스틱 (raiteuseutik) 응원봉 (eungwonbong) |
| Collection | 소장품 (sojangpum) |
| Merchandise | 굿즈 (gutjeu) |
| Music | (eumak) 곡 (gok) |
| Official | 공식 (gongsik) |
| Fan signing event | 사인회 (sainhoe) |
Resources for learning more about K-Pop
If you’re not that familiar with any K-Pop artists or songs yet, knowing more about them might be helpful in getting to know your friend’s preferences. Who knows, this might be your first step toward becoming a K-Pop fan too!
Here are some links to the resources that we have related to K-Pop:
- What is K-pop?: https://www.90daykorean.com/what-is-kpop/
- K-Pop Groups: https://www.90daykorean.com/best-kpop-groups/
- K-Pop Idol: https://www.90daykorean.com/kpop-idol/
- K-Pop songs: https://www.90daykorean.com/kpop-songs/
- Hallyu: https://www.90daykorean.com/hallyu/
- Learn Korean with K-Pop: https://www.90daykorean.com/learn-korean-with-kpop/
Wrap Up
There you have some awesome ideas for gifts for K-Pop fans and Korean learners! Whichever gift you choose, we’re sure your friend will be happy to receive it and forever grateful!
And if you are perhaps also looking for gifts that are more general in nature to give someone who loves Korean culture? In that case, check out our article listing the best Korean souvenir gifts you could get!
