As the aftermath of the 12/3 martial law continues and candlelight vigils grow in popularity across the country, the ‘cheer stick’, a symbol of K-pop fandom, is drawing attention as an unexpected object of interest. As the public poured into the streets to make their voices heard, they each held various cheer sticks instead of candles, emerging as a new ‘protest item’.

The candlelight vigils, which began in earnest on the 7th of last weekend, have been continuously held in major cities such as Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu, centered around the Yeouido area in Seoul where the National Assembly building is located. It is known that on the 7th alone, the day of the impeachment vote, approximately 1 million people (according to the organizers‘ estimate, 107,000 people according to the police estimate) participated.

Especially, among participants in their 10s and 20s, there is a growing trend of choosing light sticks as an essential item for rallies due to their excellent light-emitting power and easy battery replacement. On the SNS platform X (formerly Twitter), videos were posted one after another of idol group fandoms gathering together to raise light sticks to take ‘rally participation certification shots’, as well as singing revised versions of K-pop hit songs such as ‘Fighting!’‘Supernova’.

Middle-aged and older people are also responding to this trend. As light sticks that are lightweight yet light up in a variety of colors gained popularity at rallies, posts selling light sticks with the title ‘rally item’ and the hashtag have been steadily appearing on second-hand trading sites. On the 8th, during a rally near Yeouido, an event was held where each group’s light sticks were introduced to middle-aged and older people who were curious about the light sticks, creating a buzz.

Among these, Epik High‘s light stick, ‘Park Gyu Bong’, which is considered the hottest rally item, has even sold out. This is because the design of ‘Park Gyu Bong’, which is reminiscent of a middle finger being raised and making a finger gesture, caught the eye and led to a flood of inquiries about purchasing it. The light stick had over 110 inquiries since the 7th, sold out on the 8th, and was quickly restocked on the 9th.

Foreign media also gave significant coverage to the spectacle of K-pop fandom light sticks lighting up the rally. The BBC reported directly from their correspondent that “the crowd was dancing and singing to K-pop songs and waving colorful light sticks”, while AFP said, “the scene covered with K-pop songs and light sticks was like a dance party”.


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com