A K-pop singer named Karina said sorry on Instagram because she has a boyfriend, an actor named Lee Jae-wook. Some fans who really like K-pop stars try to control their favorite singers’ private lives. They do a lot of things to help their favorite stars, like listening to their music all the time. But when fans found out Karina has a boyfriend, some got very upset and even sent a truck to her company to show they were angry.

In the K-pop world, fans think differently about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends than people do in other places. Fans feel very close to the singers and spend a lot of time and money on them. The companies that make K-pop music help fans feel close to the singers by showing what the singers do every day. Because fans do so much for the singers, they sometimes feel like the singers owe them something.

K-pop music is becoming popular all over the world, and how fans act might start to change. Some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for having a boyfriend. The K-pop business is getting very big, and singers are even asked to sing in other countries. People hope that as K-pop keeps getting more popular, fans will be nicer and more understanding about the singers’ private lives.

Original news source: How jealous K-pop super fans try to dictate their idols’ private lives (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of K-pop related words or phrases from the article. One person from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. The group with the most points at the end wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns summarizing the article to each other in their own words. Encourage them to include the main points and any important details. After each summary, the listener can ask questions to clarify any parts they didn’t understand.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think fans should have a say in their favorite singers’ private lives?” Have students write down their answer (yes or no) on a piece of paper. Collect the papers and tally up the results. Then, have a class discussion where students can share their opinions and explain their reasoning.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each group will choose a word and draw a picture that represents it. The rest of the group must guess the word based on the drawing. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. The group with the most points at the end wins.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students discuss and make predictions about the future of K-pop and how fans will act towards their favorite singers’ private lives. Encourage them to use phrases like “I think,” “I believe,” and “In my opinion.” After the discussion, have a few groups share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did Karina say sorry on Instagram?
2. What did some fans do when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
3. How do fans in the K-pop world feel about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends?
4. How do companies that make K-pop music make fans feel close to the singers?
5. Why do fans sometimes feel like the singers owe them something?
6. Why didn’t some fans from other countries like that Karina had to apologize for having a boyfriend?
7. What do people hope will happen as K-pop becomes more popular?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A K-pop singer named Karina said (1)______ on Instagram because she has a boyfriend, an actor named Lee Jae-wook. Some fans who really like K-pop stars try to (2)______ their favorite singers’ private lives. They do a lot of things to help their favorite stars, like listening to their (3)______ all the time. But when fans found out Karina has a boyfriend, some got very (4)______ and even sent a truck to her company to show they were angry.

In the K-pop world, fans (5)______ differently about their (6)______ singers having boyfriends or girlfriends than people do in other places. Fans feel very close to the singers and spend a lot of time and money on them. The companies that make K-pop music (7)______ fans (8)______ close to the singers by showing what the singers do every day. Because fans do so much for the singers, they sometimes feel like the singers owe them something.

K-pop music is becoming (9)______ all over the world, and how fans act might start to change. Some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for having a boyfriend. The K-pop business is (10)______ very big, and singers are even asked to sing in other countries. (11)______ hope that as K-pop keeps getting more popular, fans will be nicer and more (12)______ about the singers’ private lives.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is K-pop?
2. How do fans of K-pop stars show their support?
3. How do fans feel when they find out their favorite singer has a boyfriend or girlfriend?
4. Do you think it’s fair for fans to get upset about a singer having a boyfriend or girlfriend? Why or why not?
5. How do K-pop companies help fans feel close to the singers?
6. Do you think fans should feel like the singers owe them something? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to say sorry for having a boyfriend?
8. How do you think fans should act towards the singers’ private lives?
9. What do you think will happen as K-pop becomes more popular around the world?
10. How would you feel if you were a K-pop singer and fans got upset because you had a boyfriend or girlfriend?
11. Do you like K-pop music? Why or why not?
12. How can fans support their favorite singers without getting too involved in their personal lives?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. apologize
2. control
3. private
4. upset
5. company
6. differently
7. spend
8. owe
9. business
10. popular
11. understanding
12. private

Meanings:
(A) To be in charge of someone or something
(B) Something that is just for you, not for everyone to know
(C) To say sorry for something you did
(D) To use money to buy things
(E) Feeling sad or angry
(F) Something that is just for you, not for everyone to know
(G) In another way, not the same as usual
(H) A place where people work together to make or sell things
(I) The activity of buying and selling goods and services
(J) Liked by a lot of people
(K) To need to give something back to someone because they gave you something first
(L) Knowing how someone else feels and being kind about it
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did Karina apologize on Instagram?
(a) Because she doesn’t like her fans
(b) Because she has a boyfriend
(c) Because she wants to quit singing
(d) Because she wants to move to another country

2. What did some upset fans do when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
(a) Sent a truck to her company
(b) Sent her a nice message
(c) Bought her a gift
(d) Ignored her completely

3. How do fans in the K-pop world feel about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends?
(a) Some fans get upset
(b) They don’t care at all
(c) They are happy for them
(d) They want to date the singers themselves

4. Why do fans feel close to the singers in the K-pop world?
(a) Because the singers give them money
(b) Because the singers ignore them
(c) Because the companies show what the singers do every day
(d) Because the singers live in the same neighborhood

5. How do fans help their favorite K-pop stars?
(a) By ignoring their music
(b) By listening to their music all the time
(c) By criticizing their music
(d) By stealing their music

6. What do some fans feel like the singers owe them?
(a) Money
(b) A new car
(c) Nothing at all
(d) Something for all the things they do for the singers

7. How do fans from other countries feel about Karina having a boyfriend?
(a) They were happy for her
(b) They didn’t care at all
(c) They were angry at her
(d) They didn’t like that she had to apologize

8. What do people hope will happen as K-pop becomes more popular?
(a) Fans will become even more controlling
(b) Singers will stop having boyfriends or girlfriends
(c) Fans will be nicer and more understanding about the singers’ private lives
(d) Singers will quit singing

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Fans feel a weak connection to the K-pop singers and spend little time and money on them.
2. Some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to apologize for having a boyfriend, and people hope that as K-pop continues to grow in popularity, fans will become more understanding and kind towards the singers’ private lives.
3. When fans found out that Karina has a boyfriend, some of them got upset and even sent a truck to her company to express their anger.
4. A K-pop singer named Karina apologized on Instagram because she has a boyfriend who is an actor named Lee Jae-wook.
5. Some fans of K-pop stars respect their favorite singers’ private lives.
6. Fans in the K-pop world have similar views about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends compared to people in other places.
7. K-pop music is becoming unpopular worldwide, and this might not lead to changes in how fans behave.
8. Fans show their support for their favorite K-pop stars by listening to their music all the time.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Why did Karina say sorry on Instagram?
2. How do some fans try to control their favorite K-pop singers’ private lives?
3. Why do fans feel close to the K-pop singers?
4. Why did some fans get upset when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
5. What do people hope will happen as K-pop becomes more popular?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why did Karina say sorry on Instagram?
Karina said sorry on Instagram because she has a boyfriend named Lee Jae-wook.

2. What did some fans do when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
Some fans got very upset and even sent a truck to her company to show they were angry.

3. How do fans in the K-pop world feel about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends?
Fans in the K-pop world feel differently about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends. Some fans try to control their favorite singers’ private lives and get upset when they find out they have a boyfriend or girlfriend.

4. How do companies that make K-pop music make fans feel close to the singers?
Companies that make K-pop music help fans feel close to the singers by showing what the singers do every day. They share updates and behind-the-scenes content to make fans feel connected to the singers.

5. Why do fans sometimes feel like the singers owe them something?
Fans sometimes feel like the singers owe them something because they spend a lot of time and money supporting their favorite singers. They feel like they have done a lot for the singers and expect something in return.

6. Why didn’t some fans from other countries like that Karina had to apologize for having a boyfriend?
Some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to apologize for having a boyfriend because they believe that singers should have the right to have relationships without having to say sorry.

7. What do people hope will happen as K-pop becomes more popular?
As K-pop becomes more popular, people hope that fans will be nicer and more understanding about the singers’ private lives. They hope that fans will respect the singers’ personal relationships and not get upset over them.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) sorry
(2) control
(3) music
(4) upset
(5) think
(6) favorite
(7) help
(8) feel
(9) popular
(10) getting
(11) People
(12) understanding
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. apologize
Answer: (C) To say sorry for something you did

2. control
Answer: (A) To be in charge of someone or something

3. private
Answer: (B) Something that is just for you, not for everyone to know

4. upset
Answer: (E) Feeling sad or angry

5. company
Answer: (H) A place where people work together to make or sell things

6. differently
Answer: (G) In another way, not the same as usual

7. spend
Answer: (D) To use money to buy things

8. owe
Answer: (K) To need to give something back to someone because they gave you something first

9. business
Answer: (I) The activity of buying and selling goods and services

10. popular
Answer: (J) Liked by a lot of people

11. understanding
Answer: (L) Knowing how someone else feels and being kind about it

12. private
Answer: (B) Something that is just for you, not for everyone to know
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did Karina apologize on Instagram?
Answer: (b) Because she has a boyfriend

2. What did some upset fans do when they found out Karina has a boyfriend?
Answer: (a) Sent a truck to her company

3. How do fans in the K-pop world feel about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends?
Answer: (a) Some fans get upset

4. Why do fans feel close to the singers in the K-pop world?
Answer: (c) Because the companies show what the singers do every day

5. How do fans help their favorite K-pop stars?
Answer: (b) By listening to their music all the time

6. What do some fans feel like the singers owe them?
Answer: (d) Something for all the things they do for the singers

7. How do fans from other countries feel about Karina having a boyfriend?
Answer: (d) They didn’t like that she had to apologize

8. What do people hope will happen as K-pop becomes more popular?
Answer: (c) Fans will be nicer and more understanding about the singers’ private lives
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Fans feel a weak connection to the K-pop singers and spend little time and money on them. (Answer: False)
2. Some fans from other countries didn’t like that Karina had to apologize for having a boyfriend, and people hope that as K-pop continues to grow in popularity, fans will become more understanding and kind towards the singers’ private lives. (Answer: True)
3. When fans found out that Karina has a boyfriend, some of them got upset and even sent a truck to her company to express their anger. (Answer: True)
4. A K-pop singer named Karina apologized on Instagram because she has a boyfriend who is an actor named Lee Jae-wook. (Answer: True)
5. Some fans of K-pop stars respect their favorite singers’ private lives. (Answer: False)
6. Fans in the K-pop world have similar views about their favorite singers having boyfriends or girlfriends compared to people in other places. (Answer: False)
7. K-pop music is becoming unpopular worldwide, and this might not lead to changes in how fans behave. (Answer: False)
8. Fans show their support for their favorite K-pop stars by listening to their music all the time. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧