ASTERIA, the TVXQ! International Fanclub



creating Heaven on Earth...

Background

Korean band, TVXQ! (Tong Vfang Xien Qi - which is their official name in Hanja), more popularly known as Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK) in Korea and around the world, and are also known as Tōhōshinki (THSK) in Japan, has proven extremely successful in Korea and many Asian countries. However TVXQ's increasing popularity has gained itself a large number of fans from all over the world - not just Asia.

Origin

The fanclub was started when international fans complained that Cassiopeia, the official TVXQ! fanclub (or even Cassiopeia International, the international counterpart to Cassiopeia), did not meet the needs of non-Korean speaking fans or that of the international fans living outside of Korea. International fans discussed it on various forums over the internet and were surprised at how many people felt the same way.

Development

On 27th November, 2006 the TVXQ! International Fanclub was set up by two dedicated Australian fans. With the help of other fellow fans who were just as dedicated, the club has managed to grow into it's current almost 400 members size within just the first week, despite being run without funding, professional figures, advertisements or sponsors. Members range from all corners of the world such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and even Holland. The vast diversity of background of the members is evidence of TVXQ!'s massive popularity not only across Asia as is often qouted by entertainment news but all over the world.

The fanclub's forumwas the first step for the group. It has reached well over 6000 articles since it was started and has an average of over 450 posts a day. One of the first fews tasks the club tackled was that of the name.

The Name

Recently, with the aid of a poll, the members of the club chose ' Asteria', refering to the the name applied to ornamental stones which exhibit, when cut en cabochon, a luminous six pointed star, for the club's official name. After a lengthy debate and careful consideration, most of the members backed 'Asteria' for the name of the club, supporting the idea that each points of the star represented each of the five TVXQ! members and one united international fanclub.

Official Slogan

The official slogan which will be on all banners and soon, the official membership cards of the club is creating Heaven on Earth. The reason for this is that each and every member of the club feels that TVXQ! has created a Heaven on this Earth for them. Further elaboration on this slogan would include the fact that the members may be scattered all over this planet Earth, but have come together to share this Heaven that TVXQ! has created for them. In return, the members hope to be able to do the same for TVXQ! someday.

The People

The administrators and moderators of the forum, mostly in their early twenties and late teens have been praised for having achieved a tremendous deal by the members from all over the world. With internet as the sole form of communication between the members, the scale to which the fan club has grown is quite exceptional. The members have since created many new relationships between one another and have become a friendly community. Although, the fanclub is still relatively small, the succeeding trend has positive indications.

Club Goals

The TVXQ! International Fanclub is said to have big goals for the future. Having SM Entertainment, the talent/management company to which popular boyband TVXQ! belongs, recognise them is just one of the goals. Through diplomatic means, the club also plans on contacting the current official fan club, Cassiopeia, in hopes of gaining acceptance. However, the ultimate goal of the club is to attract the attention of TVXQ!, by "let[ting] them know that they are loved not only in Asia but all over the world!" through uniting all the TVXQ! fans from around the world.