K-pop is a force for good: BTS, Blackpink and Exo fans take up climate activism, disaster relief and emulate their idols’ good deeds
- From taking up social and political causes to fundraising for disaster relief, K-pop fans are getting involved in issues
- Their age and multicultural backgrounds are key reasons for their activism, and many fans are emulating their idols
From petitioning to save forests to raising cash for disaster victims, a growing army of K-pop fans worldwide has emerged as a force in the global fight against climate change.
Young and tech-savvy K-pop lovers have used their social media power to take up political causes, including mobilising funds for the Black Lives Matter movement in the US last year and supporting Thailand’s pro-democracy protests. The group is increasingly vocal on climate change, shining a youth spotlight on environmental issues that get relatively little attention in some parts of the world.
“K-pop fans are mostly millennials and from the Gen-Z generation – we want to fight for our future,” said Indonesian student Nurul Sarifah, 21, who set up the Kpop4Planet movement in mid-January.
“Every day we are experiencing these effects: pollution, heatwaves, floods, wildfires. We can change this by doing good, just like how our idols did, so we can enjoy K-pop on a liveable planet,” she said.
