What is K-pop and why are fans swarming social media over George Floyd protests?
An unlikely source of support for George Floyd protesters hails from South Korea where K-Pop fans are using their volume to drown out racist messages.
Korean pop music or K-pop is a genre of South Korea which grew in popularity during the to 2000s going on to become a universal phenomenon.
K-pop has become a truly global movement thanks to its distinctive blend of addictive melodies, slick choreography and production values, and an endless parade of attractive South Korean boy and girls band performers who spend years in gruelling studio systems learning to sing and dance in synchronized perfection.
The genre has also given way to extreme and devout levels of fandom with bands like BTS, Wonder Girls and Stray Kids boasting millions of followers across their various social media platforms, BTS alone have more than 26 million Twitter followers.
#BlackoutTuesday
On June 2, the #BlackoutTuesday online campaign came into effect where social media users showed their support for the police brutality protests in cities across the US by posting blacked out images and using the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday.
Later on the day it emerged that a counter campaign was in play with other users using the hashtag #WhiteoutTuesday and Donald Trump's motto 'Make America Great Again; with the #MAGA hashtag.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, K-pop fans posted millions of videos, gifs and messages using the a series of hashtags used traditionally by the right and far right such as #WhiteLivesMatter, #BlueLivesMatter #MAGA and the #WhiteoutTuesday tag to drown out any impact the use of the hashtags in question would have for searches.
The legions of K-pop also added their considerable online voice with pro-protest memes and messages of solidarity for Floyd protesters.
- Derek Chauvin charged with murder and manslaughter
- What charges are the three other officers facing
- The four police officers: their history
- Where does Trump's 'when the looting starts...' quote come from?
- George Floyd GoFundMe page raises nearly $5 million
- How a suspected counterfeit $20 bill led to protests across the US
- When did #BlackLivesMatter start?
George Floyd protests: live coverage
You can follow live coverage of the protests over the killing of George Floyd here.