By Hyunsu Yim, Nicoco Chan and Minwoo Park
SEOUL (Reuters) – While South Korean protesters have long used songs, dances and chants, custom-made light sticks popularized by K-pop fans have emerged as an effective new tool for protesters seeking the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Tens of thousands of protesters have braved near-zero temperatures to rally outside the National Assembly in the capital Seoul since Yoon’s failed attempt at martial law last week.
“Impeach, impeach. Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol,” protestors chanted to K-pop techno group’s latest aespa hit “Whiplash.”
Videos of synchronized chanting and simple stick movements in unison at the protests have made their way onto social media as well as flags bearing messages and memes from the youngest protesters.
“Give geniuses the freedom to worry only about intelligent things,” one meme flag draped over Saturday’s protest read, capturing the spirit among young people amid political unrest.
One of the advantages of light sticks is how durable they are, says Kim Do Heon, a music critic based in Seoul.
“It’s also very light and comes in a size that’s easy to carry.”
South Koreans are playing this long game, said Shin Jae-yun who came out to protest Yoon holding a light stick of K-pop boy group TREASURE, because protests are “a very painful act” but there is no guarantee that things will get better. away.
“In order to endure this kind of pain, you must have something to be happy about so that people can stay in hope for a long time even if it is difficult,” said Shin.
A playlist of popular K-pop protest songs is also shared on X. Kim Byung-joo, a lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party, jumped on the bandwagon on Monday and posted a playlist on the platform: “Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, the leader of the revolution!…from folk songs to K-pop.”
South Korea has a rich history of protest since it first became democratic in the 1980s after military intervention. Protests against labor rights, threats from neighboring North Korea and perceived government failure have sometimes turned violent in the past.
Lee Seul-gi, a 36-year-old woman who is a fan of the K-pop group ATEEZ, said that impeachment protests in this case have become easy to reach.
“Previous gatherings may have been violent and intimidating. But light sticks and K-pop have lowered the bar,” Lee said.
CANDLE DEVELOPMENT
Until 2016, candles were prominent in many protests and played a major role in the rallies that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.
Park was ousted due to allegations of fraud and was later jailed for the scandal that exposed corruption among political leaders and the country’s trade unions.
“Many people used to carry candles, put paper cups over them and take them out so they don’t go out. But now the age of light sticks has come, not candles,” said music critic Kim.
Stephanie Choi, a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, said the light sticks still show “the power of unity while maintaining the original meaning of nonviolence.”
While men and women from all walks of life rallied and called on parliament to expel Yoon, young women outnumbered their male peers in protests.
Yoon vowed to end the gender equality ministry before taking office and was unpopular with female voters in their 20s in the 2022 presidential election.
He won office in 2022 by the narrowest margin in South Korean history but his party suffered a landslide defeat in parliamentary elections earlier this year.
The K-pop industry is notoriously political and so are the lyrics of many K-pop songs played at impeachment protests. In South Korea, celebrities who express political opinions are often ignored.
But experts say fans are aware of the power of K-pop and the underlying message of women’s empowerment it carries.
“K-pop is a female-dominated field…and their demands to protect women have shaped the aesthetic and performance of K-pop today,” Choi said.
Kim Da-in, a 19-year-old fan of the idol group Plave, said the impeachment protests included all genres of K-pop.
“Here, I feel like we are South Korean citizens first before we become idol fans.”
