ABSTRACT
The political protest known as “candlelight movement” was nicknamed “candlelight cultural festival” as protesters built and mobilized participatory cultural scenes by bringing candles and their own flags; dancing, singing, and painting together; reciting poems; and displaying pictures and installations during the protest. Among these public demonstrators, young K-pop fans exhibited unique practices within the protest scene: The K-pop fans brought their glow sticks, originally used at popular music concerts, to the rallies unlike other protesters holding up lit candles. This chapter examines K-pop fans’ engagement in the candlelight movement, drawing upon my participant observation of Korean female K-pop fandom. For this examination, I, as a member of K-pop fandom, autoethnographically analyze a protest staged in Seoul in January 2017, in which a group of young K-pop fans participated. This chapter thus demonstrates how K-pop fandom has diversified established protest routines in both sonic and visual terms.
