The Millennial and Gen Z women at the frontlines of Korea's Yoon-OUT pro-democracy rallies
How K-pop songs and lightsticks became symbols of solidarity at protest sites
Koreans are trudging through a fresh wave of martial law trauma. On December 3rd, we saw the first declaration of martial law in 45 years (the first ever under a democratic regime) and the 17th overall since the establishment of the South Korean government in 1948. That’s right. In its short 76 years of history, the Republic of Korea has undergone 17 Martial Laws. Despite Korea being considered “a peaceful beacon of democracy in Asia” in recent contemporary history, peaceful democracy has rarely been a guaranteed reality for previous generations of Koreans—and it is no longer guaranteed for today’s generation either.
This time, leading the country’s resistance against Yoon’s coup alongside the democratization movement generation (민주화운동 세대) are Millennial and Gen Z women. They come armed with K-pop songs and lightsticks.
Light Sticks as Symbols of Solidarity
촛불은 촛불일 뿐이지, 결국 바람이 불면 다 꺼지게 돼 있다.
A candle is just a candle; in the end, it will be extinguished when the wind blows.
This is what former National Assembly member Gim Jintae, representing the Saenuri Party (the conservative political party at the time), infamously said during the 2016 candlelight rallies that called for then-President Park Geun-hye’s resignation.
Outraged by Gim’s statement, protesters switched out candles with LED sticks, glow sticks, and torchlights. The photo below pictures the 4th candlelight rally held at the 5.18 Democracy Plaza in Dong-gu Gwangju. Citizens raised torches at the fountain, paying tribute to the May 18 Gwangju Uprising of 1980 by reenacting one of its rallies, 민족∙민주화 성회.
Today, the primary candle of choice at Yoon-OUT protests is a K-pop lightstick or 응원봉 (eungwonbong).
If you’re unfamiliar with K-pop culture: each K-pop group typically has its own brand of lightsticks that reflect the group’s identity and official color—a color selected to represent their fandom—in the design. This is why we see lightsticks of all shapes, sizes, and colors bejewelling the streets of Korea as women from the younger generation in their 20s and 30s flood the streets this protest season.
같은 응원봉을 발견하면 조금 아 저분도 이렇게 나와주셨구나 이러고 힘이 나는 것 같습니다.
When I spot the same lightstick, I go, "Ah, they came out to support too," and it gives me strength.
- 이현지 I Hyeonji (Rally participant interviewed by MBCNEWS)
At these protests, a group of friends will more often than not be brandishing all kinds of different lightsticks. The diversity of lightsticks reflects the evolution of the friend group's K-pop journey. They likely met as fans of one band, and while some or all eventually moved on to support another, they remained friends.
Friends who K-pop together rally together.
In an interesting cultural development, repurposed eungwonbongs have become political symbols of solidarity and peace, shining brightly amid high-pressure, dangerous political turmoil. The rise of these modern, unwavering candles carries a poetic resonance.
Now, it seems non-fans including the older generation are invested. Korean news outlets note that lightstick sales have surged on online shopping platforms. On the 9th, ‘lightstick’, ‘making lightsticks’, ‘glowstick’ were trending search keywords on Naver Shopping and sales of lightsticks for nearly every K-pop artist surged dramatically on YES24 over the past three days.
A New Era of Korean Protest Songs
Alongside lightsticks, K-pop songs like SNSD’s debut song ‘Into the New World (다시 만난 세계 or 다만세 for short)’ carry on the legacy of 2016. ‘Into the New World’ gained its protest song status during the 2016 sit-in protests at Ewha Womans University. A viral video, showing students singing the song in unison during a face-off between students and police, solidified the song as a symbol of resilience and solidarity. In an interview, student leaders said they sung ‘Into the New World’ because it’s a song everyone knows and can sing together.
On the 30th, the students were facing a massive number of police. To overcome fear, maintain order, and encourage each other to prevent potential accidents, some suggested that we sing together. We looked for a song everyone knew and that’s how ‘Into the New World’ was chosen.
We were waiting because we heard the president would come soon, but the police kept pushing in, and it was scary. We couldn't leave, so we sang the song to comfort each other and strengthen our resolve.
SNSD member Tiffany later described this as a proud moment for the group.
지금은 페미니스트의 시대고, 여성이 다른 여성에게 힘을 실어주는 메시지가 중요한 시기 같다. 우리 노래가 그런 역할을 한 것 같아서 기쁜 마음이 들었다.
Now is the era of feminists, and it seems like a time when messages of women empowering other women are important. I felt happy knowing that our song played such a role.
This incident served as an opportunity for traditionally “non-protest songs”, or pop music, to become a notable feature at protest sites across Korea.
Korea has a rich tradition of protest songs, known as 민중가요 (minjunggayo). These are the songs the older generation are familiar with and expect to hear at protest sites. The younger generation, born into the democracy older generations earned through violent struggles, have been lucky enough to grow up without ever needing to recite these songs. There is, therefore, a glaring gap between the generations in terms of their knowledge of minjunggayo playlists.
Importantly, K-pop flowing into this year’s rallies was a natural and, by extension, inevitable process. The Korean news is starting to acknowledge the fact that it is specifically young women (noticeably absent at rallies are young men) leading the frontlines of pro-democracy and human rights movements across the country. These young women, who happen to be the primary consumers driving the development of the K-pop industry, and their overwhelming, sparkling presence call for an updated protest playlist. But they don’t need anyone to bring it to or for them, because they bring their own songs and critical input.
At the December 7 rallies, people chanted “Impeach! Impeach! Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol!” to the beat of ‘Whiplash’, a massive 2024 hit by the girl group Aespa. Korean women rallying in all parts of the world sang ‘Into the New World’ together. The next day, a video of protesters in front of the National Assembly building singing the song in beautiful harmony went viral on Twitter. The tweet now has over seventy thousand retweets and 4.3 million views. Other K-pop acts that have made the 2024 Yoon-OUT rally playlists are BTS (of course), 2NE1, and the pop rock band Day6.
The prominent inclusion of K-pop at recent rallies has garnered significant public attention. K-pop fans themselves are debating the efficacy of using K-pop for protest purposes. Several concerns were raised.
Some felt the Dec 7 protests had become K-pop sing-along parties by the end of the night. They argue the involvement of K-pop sidetracks people and threatens to depoliticize protests. Others counter that K-pop primarily served to reignite the spirits of weary protesters braving the biting cold. They argue that K-pop played a vital role in regulating the crowd’s rhythm and providing moments of comparative lightheartedness during protests that lasted more than seven hours.
Many oppose the inclusion of K-pop songs by convicted and controversial groups/figures, such as BIGBANG and Psy, regardless of their popularity. In one instance, organizers stopped playing Psy’s songs after the crowd showed strong disapproval of playing ‘Bird.’
One Twitter user remarked that after the impeachment motion failed, they wanted to hear sad and somber songs that reflected their rage and frustration, not dance music. The tweet has been quoted and retweeted over a thousand times, sparking debate on the relevance and efficacy of upbeat K-pop songs as rallying cries.
The general consensus is that better strategies and carefully curated playlists need to be developed.
‘Into the New World’ is a prime example of a useful K-pop protest song successfully launched by the younger demographic. It helps that the song is one of the most iconic tracks by one of the most successful K-pop acts in history. SNSD is part of the second generation of K-pop (we are now at fifth gen), meaning that even people in their 40s and 50s are likely to be somewhat familiar with the tune. Another key factor is the song’s lyrics.
특별한 기적을 기다리지마
눈 앞에선 우리의 거친 길은
알 수 없는 미래와 벽
바꾸지 않아, 포기할 수 없어
Don’t wait for a special miracle
There’s a rough path in front of us
Uncertain future and obstacles
I won’t change, and I can’t give up
수많은 알 수 없는 길 속에
희미한 빛을 난 쫓아가
언제까지라도 함께 하는 거야
다시 만난 나의 세계
Among countless unknown paths
I chase after the faint light
Until the very end, we’ll be together
Into the new world
See, this song makes sense as a protest song. It’s hopeful and doleful at the same time and conveys the urge to pursue solidarity in the face of adversity. But it is hard to say the same about other songs heard at some of the protest sites. For example, while 2NE1’s ‘I Am the Best’ and even Rosés ‘APT’ are songs that can achieve intergenerational harmony, the songs’ lyrics are ill-suited to promote any sense of urgency or political solidarity. In such cases, lyrics are being modified in real time to incorporate slogans like “Vote Yoon Out” and “Impeach Yoon.”
Here’s a viral example where ‘Feliz Navidad’ was transformed as an “impeachment carol” this year.
The song goes like this: Impeachment is the answer (Feliz Navidad), Impeachment is the answer (Feliz Navidad), Impeachment is the answer, if this continues, the country will collapse (Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad); Yoon Suk-yeol needs to bugger off for a Merry Christmas (I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas), Kim Geon-hee needs to be punished for a Merry Christmas (I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas), the People Power Party needs to disband for a Merry Christmas, impeach them right now (I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas From the bottom of my heart).
History must properly remember the drive and resolve of Korean women who are at the forefront of the fight for democracy. Despite the news media framing the influx of young women with eungwonbongs as a new, hopeful, and fascinating development, young women in this country have never been passive or politically indifferent. It is the nation’s misogynistic history that has consistently erased and undermined their participation in politics and protests. But it won’t be able to do so anymore. Women are lighting their collective path with millions of incandescent K-pop lightstick-candles, leaving—with their own hands and voices—an indelible mark on history.
Learn more about
Korea’s Martial Law trauma: The historical traumas driving South Korea’s political turmoil
Korean women at the frontlines of the fight for democracy: '아이돌 응원봉' 이전에도 여성들은 광장 중심에 있었다