Definitely. It probably first depends on your definition of “die hard fan,” because the intensity at which we fangirl/fanboy is subjectively denoted. At the same time, if “die hard” inevitably (for some reason) does not come without fetishizing Koreans and Korean culture, it still doesn’t make it okay. 

Boundless dedication to your favorite pastime does not justify engaging in such harmful behaviors. I think in anything you do, there is still a sense of responsibility to make sure you don’t hurt yourself nor others. I understand that passion can be blind, especially at first, and that there are some who think they can’t help but have the thoughts they do. But the first step is to realize that what you are doing is problematic and why. 

Why is fetishizing the Korean ethnicity not good? This, and because what we see in K-pop idol culture is barely the reality for the rest of Korea. What we are seeing are traces and manifestations of culture, but it is not the entire package. K-pop idols are Koreans, but Koreans are not K-pop idols. K-pop fans who wish they were born Korean or wish they got with a Korean are doing so having constructed in their minds an image that is merely idealized, and without understanding the reality of Koreans, an identity that basically has weight just like any other national/ethnic identity in the world. Bluntly speaking, I’m saying that there is nothing special about being Korean; and that there (may be) something special about being Korean, but that is only reserved to be realized for those who are indeed Korean, and only if they choose to. “Korean” and “Korean-ness” is a realm that we as outsiders are not warranted to enter nor be selective about on our own terms. 

Thanks for your question!