"Cheering Sticks and K-pop Ease Fear of Protests," Foreign Media Spotlight Impeachment Rally

Report on Protest Culture Changed by MZ Generation

Foreign media outlets are continuously reporting on the protest culture of Korean citizens amid the emergency martial law situation and the ensuing internal conflict and impeachment political crisis in Korea.

On the 10th, Yonhap News, citing foreign media such as Bloomberg, reported that citizens were waving glow sticks, an essential item for K-pop fans, while singing the latest pop songs together. The media evaluated that this brought vitality to the serious protest scenes demanding the president's impeachment.

Candlelight Rally Urging Impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News

Major foreign media reported a Seoul dispatch article titled "K-pop Glow Sticks Ignite in South Korea's Impeachment Demand Protests" on the same day. It introduced that "the glow sticks carried by citizens in the protests replaced the traditional candlelight, emerging as a symbol of nonviolence and solidarity," and that at a protest in Seoul, citizens shouted "Impeach, Impeach, Yoon Seok-yeol!" in rhythm with the beat of the popular girl group aespa's "Whiplash."

Shin Jae-yoon, a protest participant, said in an interview with the media that participating in rallies involves pain, adding, "To endure the pain without losing hope for a long time, there needs to be something enjoyable."

Videos and photos showing citizens harmonizing their rhythm and pitch in so-called "group singing" while waving glow sticks were also reported. According to the media, Lee Seul-gi (36), a protest participant who identified herself as a fan of the boy group ATEEZ, said, "Previous rallies were somewhat violent and intimidating, but the glow sticks and K-pop lowered the barriers to participation."

Foreign media focused on K-pop and cheering sticks, which emerged from the candlelight rally last weekend, highlighting the rally culture. Photo by BBC

The media paid close attention to the K-pop glow sticks. In particular, Bloomberg reported that while the lively atmosphere of K-pop masks the recent political turmoil in Korea, protest participants are not taking the current situation lightly.

Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) also introduced the protest in front of the National Assembly on the 7th under the headline "South Korea, Changing Protest Scenes," describing it as "a bustling festival with entertainment elements, yet orderly."

BBC reported on the 8th that "when the organizers played K-pop, the crowd began dancing and singing while waving colorful glow sticks," adding, "Some did the wave to the songs of the group Girls' Generation," and that "suddenly, the rally turned into an enjoyable pop concert."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.