덕질 Duckzill: A Fan Essential

The term “덕질” means the act of becoming obsessed with something, or the easiest way to explain it is...fangirling. And for most of us, that means becoming obsessed with our favorite idol group. We want to know all there is to know about our faves, however some things are just a little out of reach for international fans. While living in South Korea, I have fallen in love with the app “Duckzill.” Duckzill is an app that is a one stop shop for all things idol. Fans submit events, locations and even goods to the app, enabling people to be able to find it all in one spot. The days of digging through Twitter feeds for hours has been made a little easier. 

How To Navigate Duckzill

Whether you use the app or the website, the functionality and layout is the same. There are a few sections to navigate to try to find information regarding birthday events, ads, and even locations related to your favorite idols. Something to keep in mind is that the recent update of the Duckzill app and website has added a Google translate function, but for ease of access I’m going to include the Korean tab titles as well since Google Translate can be very unpredictable. 

When you download the app or visit the website, the first page will say “아이돌 선택하기”  towards the bottom. This means “select your idol.” After tapping on this button, you’ll be shown a page with different idol groups. The default page is male groups but at the top left you can switch to girl groups by hitting the button that says “여자 그룹.” Don’t worry too much about your selection as you can change it at any time. Once you have selected your group, hit the button at the bottom that says “선택.” This confirms your choice. It then will take you to the main page called HOME. This is just a place for a collection of pictures of your selected group. However, below the different tabs, there is a gear icon. This is what you select to change the idol group you want to search for. Now I am going to break down what the different tabs are and what information you can find in each. 

이벤트 “Events”

The events tab is where you can find birthday or anniversary events. If you happen to be traveling during a time close to your favorite idol’s birthday, this is an easy way to see different events in one spot. Once you find an event you want to attend, click on it and it will take you to an information page. This is where you can find the address, what freebies you will receive at the event, a contact point for the cafe event organizer, the dates of the event and finally a map with the cafe pinned to make locating the cafe easier than ever. 

덕스탑 “Duck Stop”

“Duck Stop” is the tab where you can find the locations of birthday advertisements. When you click on the advertisement you want to see, it takes you to a page similar to the events tab. You’ll see a contact point, the dates the advertisement is running, and the location of the ad. There is sometimes a note from the organizer as well to help find the ad more smoothly. A good thing to watch for is the phrase “(#) 번출구.”  This is usually the exit where the ad is located. 

덕스팟 “Duck Spot”

“Duck Spot” is the tab that fans may find the most useful. This shows different locations your favorite idol has been. These “spots” can vary from the location of a music video, teaser, or variety show all the way to the locations of where certain Instagram photos were taken. When you select an image, it takes you to a page that has a note about how to get to the location, where the location is featured, and a note from the person who submitted it with any helpful information as well as a map pin. 

굿즈 “Goods”

This tab is a bit more self explanatory - it collects assorted fan made goods in one place, making searching for that perfect banner or calendar for the new year simple! If an item catches your eye, it's easy to select and be led to the creator’s social media accounts. Purchasing isn’t done on the platform but they do help point users in the right direction. 

지도 “Map” 

This is a very useful tool. It can assist in trip planning to see “Duck Spots” in other parts of the country. On the left side there is a tool that lets you narrow the search between Duck Stops, Duck Spots, and even events for each member or the whole group. If venturing outside of Seoul, this can be used to find more things to experience for K-Pop fans new to South Korea. 

이벤트 매칭 “Cafe Matching”

This tab is mostly for fans inside Korea. It helps find cafes that will allow for groups to organize fan events for their favorite idols. It can be a good source to find Instagram-worthy cafes, so feel free to browse this tab as well!

게시판 “Notice Board” 

The latest events and ads are posted here. If you want to be the most up to date on events, check this tab often as things are updated on a regular basis. 

Social Media Accounts 

If the idea of the website and app are a little overwhelming, the lovely people at Duckzill also tweet their events and locations out frequently. The first account is @_DuckZill. This account is where they tweet out events on a consistent basis. You can expect to see information about events usually once or twice every hour. The other account is @dzMarketing_. This account tweets out “Duck Spots” regularly so being able to find that cute cafe your favorite took a selfie in becomes easy as can be!

You can download Duckzill on the App Store or Google Play, visit the Duckzill website, or check out their Twitter accounts to play your dream trip to Korea. 

Disclaimer: This article was not paid for nor sponsored by Duckzill. This article simply innform fellow K-Pop fans of the best tips and tricks.