The Symbolic Role and Communicative Implications of K-Pop Culture at Protest Sites in South Korea

Abstract

This study conducts an in-depth analysis of the communicative impact and symbolic significance of K-pop fandom culture on South Korea's collective civic action, focusing on the impeachment protests held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido immediately following the declaration of emergency martial law. Whereas past protests were "material protests" that attempted to force intentions through the physical sheer force of crowds, the post-martial law protests demonstrated a qualitative transition into "cultural protests" that diffuse values through cultural empathy and affective solidarity. In particular, the youth (teens and 20s) K-pop fandom—who had been subjects of social ridicule at the lowest rungs of South Korean society since the 1990s—emerged as the primary driving force of this civil movement based on their subcultural practices of "solidarity and sharing" alongside "mass sing-alongs (ttechang) and joyous celebration." Utilizing qualitative methodology, this study analyzes protest dynamics through the frameworks of cultural communication, spatial politics, and evolutionary anthropological solidarity theory. Findings indicate that protesters resisted authoritarian violence by expressing individual plurality through "light sticks" and "individualized flags" instead of traditional candles and organizational banners. Furthermore, their cultural practices led to mutual learning with middle-aged generations (40s and 50s) through playlist exchanges, achieving unprecedented generational integration. Although foreign media highlighted this as "peaceful and friendly solidarity," this study warns against the hazard of "material politics," wherein established political entities attempt to instrumentalize the autonomous cultural protests of the youth. Ultimately, this paper discusses how the evolved civic consciousness underlying popular culture operates as new social capital to overcome democratic crises, offering an extension to traditional social movement theories.