Fan clubs of Korean dramas and stars are evolving as Hallyu, the Korean wave of popularity, has evolved.

In the early years, actor Ryu Si Won of the hit "Paper Crane" series had a fan club made up of local, non-Korean women. Not long after, a Hawaii K-Drama club was founded; in its wake, fans set their own directions and goals.

Then came fan clubs for individual stars. If you were a K-drama fan, you would probably be a member of the Hawaii K-Drama club, but also possibly the Gentle Song Il Gook fan club, the Ryu Si Won fan club and the Bae Yong Joon fan club. These fan clubs meet on a regular basis and discuss ways to get their favorite celebrity to Hawai'i, sometimes hosting fundraisers and arranging other events. Some have taken trips to Korea, capturing the memories on film and taking in the culture.

I really admire fan clubs that have become a part of the Korean community. Throughout the year, fans from these clubs volunteer their time and talents to many Korean community events, such as the sixth annual Korean Festival, held at Kapi'olani Park. The first groups called to help, and seemingly first to respond, are members of these fan clubs as they became the "go-to" people when you need volunteers for Korean community events.

A few weeks ago, at the inauguration of the new United Korean Society of Hawaii president, plaques were given out to several Korean drama fan club members in appreciation for their year-round support.

What's astonishing is that few volunteers are Korean.

Many fans were involved supporting the June 15 Rain concert that never happened. They volunteered their time and bought their share of VIP tickets.

Many fan members are now in contact with Korean drama stars, celebrities and/or their managers. Fans want celebrities to visit Hawai'i; in many cases, the celebrities want to come, schedule permitting, but as many learned, there are risks and costs involved. K-drama fans here have very pure hearts and sincerity in having the stars come for a cultural event, not for profit, but for the stars, they have to maintain their public appeal and therefore can get quite demanding when it comes to travel expenses.

If you take into account the star in addition to managers, stylist and staff, the entourage can get as big as seven people. Imagine, having to provide air, transportation and hotel for all those people? For a fan club to absorb such costs can get out of control, and therefore the event ticket or the fan meeting can get very expensive.

The bigger the star, the higher the risk involved.

My suggestion: Buy your $10 Hawaii International Film Festival ticket to a Korean film and get to meet some Korean drama stars that way.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'FREEZE'

EPISODES 3 AND 4

Tonight at 7: Ji-woo runs into E-hwa as she leaves Joong-won's place. E-hwa is tormented because Joong-won is developing feelings for another woman. Hyung-joon, another vampire, is wanted as a suspect in a series of murders. E-hwa warns Hyung-joon not to jeopardize the safety of other vampires.

Tonight at 8: Joong-won confesses his feelings to Ji-woo. Ji-woo and Joong-won's feelings grow deeper, and E-hwa is openly jealous of their relationship. Joong-won accompanies Ji-woo on her visit to her mother's grave.

'THANK YOU'

EPISODES 11 AND 12

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Ki-suh takes a sleeping Spring back to Blue Island, and puts her down next to Shin-young. Spring is confused when she woke up next to her mother, but Young-shin acts as if nothing happened.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: Suk-hyun tells Ki-suh that Spring is his daughter. Ki-suh is outraged when Suk-hyun asks him to look after Young-shin and Spring.

'MONEY WAR'

EPISODES 11 AND 12

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Ma Dong-po takes Nara to his secret safe. But he goes berserk when he finds out Nara has a new lock on the safe. Nara forces him to sign over $500,000, and Mr. Ma collapses from rage. Ju-hee reports her boss's wrongdoing to the audit team and resigns from the bank.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: Nara takes Mr. Ma's $5 million to Madam Bong. Ha Woo-sung tries to stop Madam Bong from letting Nara into the takeover project, but she ignores him. Kim Dong-gu (No. 3) threatens Nara to take his hands off Blue Angel.

'AIR CITY'

EPISODES 3 AND 4

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Dokyong's competitive nature takes over, and she gets drunk at her welcoming party. Ji-sung comes to her aid when he finds her in an alleyway, suffering from nausea. Ji-sung suggests heightened security at the airport to stop a wanted industrial spy from leaving the country, but afraid of unnecessary delays, Do-kyong opposes his suggestion.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Do-kyong is held hostage by Charlie, and Ji-sung gives chase. With the help of special forces, Charlie is apprehended. Ji-sung runs into his old girlfriend Myong-wu.