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BTS (provided by Big Hit Entertainment)

As protests reverberate around the world over the death of George Floyd, a black American killed by excessive police force, the solidarity movement is also spreading in Korea, with a peaceful march set to take place in downtown Seoul this weekend. Influential K-pop stars including BTS have also expressed solidarity at the request of fans, stating “We stand against racial discrimination.”

BTS tweeted on their official account (@BTS_twt) on June 4, writing “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.” The tweet was tagged with the BlackLivesMatter hashtag and accompanied by an English translation so that fans outside Korea could read it. This came as a response to overseas fans who had urged BTS to take part in the social media campaign sparked by Floyd’s death. As the influence of K-pop stars continues to rise, foreign fans have called on them to exercise their “positive influence” whenever certain issues arise.

The social media accounts and fan communities of K-pop singers have been inundated with posts about the Floyd case and the protests across the US. Fans have called on stars to share the BlackLivesMatter hashtag or sign a petition demanding harsh punishments for the police officers involved, and Korean singers who are gaining popularity overseas are responding to the call. When police in Dallas, Texas posted a tweet May 31 (local time) through the iWatch Dallas app asking people to provide information about illegal protests via video footage, one K-pop fan suggested “protecting the demonstrators by filling the app with fancams” (a directly filmed video of a singer on stage). A number of singers replied to fans, with Tiffany Young from Girls Generation, Jay Park, CL from 2NE1 and members of f(x) uploading posts to their social media accounts in support of the protests or donating to show solidarity.

A tweet on BTS’ official Twitter account supporting the George Floyd protests

The wave of memorial tributes and solidarity is also spreading to Korea. One Twitter user created a new account (@BlmKorean) and translated English articles into Korean to enable the Korean public to learn more about the situation. This included an article describing how black human rights groups are endeavoring to keep protests peaceful, and the history of black civil rights.

A peaceful march to denounce racial discrimination and demonstrate solidarity with the US protests will be held in Seoul on June 6. “As a member of the international community, this is something we can’t just overlook when it comes to building a world where everyone can live alongside one another,” said Shim Ji-hun, the organizer of the demonstration. “We are not advocating violent protests as a means of expressing anger. We will march slowly towards the US Embassy while maintaining a distance of at least two meters between each other in line with social distancing guidelines. This is about voicing our opposition to racial discrimination and paying tribute to George Floyd. We are trying to start a small movement to create a world in which everyone can live together.”

The march will begin at 4pm on June 6 outside the Migliore shopping mall in the city’s Myeongdong shopping district, and organizers have posted an announcement asking that people bring face masks and placards. It is expected that those taking part will pay tribute to George Floyd through a performance in which they drop to their knees and lie face down on the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

By Park Yoon-kyung, staff reporter

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