Photo = HIGHLIGHT, CRAVITY social media

 

With the opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America just one day away, K-POP idols are busy as well.

 

CRAVITY’s SERIM and WOOBIN are set to watch Korea’s first group-stage match against the Czech Republic together live through their official YouTube channel on the 12th. HIGHLIGHT’s YOON DUJUN appeared as a presenter on KBS 1TV’s World Cup special documentary 'Road to the World Cup North America: Codename 348104' on the 9th, introducing key points to watch for this tournament. Both are not simply idols who like soccer.

 

SERIM’s love for soccer goes back a long way. He played soccer in elementary school and even received a scouting offer from Baegam Middle School, known as a prestigious soccer school. He ultimately chose the path of an idol, but his passion for soccer remained unchanged. In the futsal event at the 2024 Idol Star Athletics Championships, he was evaluated as the most outstanding player for his quick ball control and fake motions, earning the nickname “Se-si,” a combination of SERIM and Messi. Last year, following his appearance on JTBC’s 'The Gentlemen’s League 3,' he made consecutive appearances on this year’s 'The Gentlemen’s League 4,' earning recognition from coaches PARK HANGSEO and KIM NAMIL with practical skills such as scissors kicks, Marseille turns, and heel passes. Coach KIM NAMIL selected SERIM as his ambitious forward pick in a defense-focused draft. This World Cup live broadcast is an extension of that trajectory.

 

YOON DUJUN’s love for soccer is also familiar to fans. During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, HIGHLIGHT watched Korea’s match against Ghana together live through its official YouTube channel. During the first match, YOON DUJUN even personally made a World Cup-related PPT to explain the match beforehand for fans who were not familiar with soccer. After Korea conceded two goals in the first half, LEE GIKWANG spotted the opposing crowd’s cheers and stood up, saying, “We can’t lose either,” imitating them in the same way, while YANG YOSEOP shouted, “There are three of them, and four of us, so we won,” a moment that became a hot topic. The three-hour live broadcast drew 20,000 real-time viewers, and the replay recorded 1.66 million views. Four years later, YOON DUJUN stepped forward as the presenter of a World Cup special documentary on public broadcaster KBS. The modifier KBS used to introduce him was “K-POP’s representative soccer fanatic, recognized by himself and others.”

 

The two cases show one thing. Idols’ genuine interests have become content. Personal tastes that existed outside of singing and performance become points of contact with fandoms, and that expands to broadcasters and external platforms. If watch-along broadcasts in 2022 were voluntary fan communication, in 2026, they have led to a public broadcaster documentary presenter and an official YouTube live broadcast.

 

The reason this kind of content works well is clear. Fans feel a sense of intimacy when they see idols genuinely liking something. Becoming close enough to share the personal tastes of an idol, beyond their glamorous image on stage, provides a special sense of belonging. The sense of sameness follows as well: just as I like this idol, this idol also sincerely likes something. It can also naturally create the impression that the idol understands the hearts of fans well. The quality of the content is different, too. Stories that come from a field one loves are richer than those about a field one has no interest in, and that sincerity comes through on screen. YOON DUJUN making a PPT to explain the match and SERIM earning recognition from coaches by doing scissors kicks ultimately fall under the same context. The World Cup comes once every four years, but content made from something one truly loves can move fans’ hearts at any time.

grace@hanteo.com