Why BTS Army and other K-pop fans are aiming their activism at Donald Trump

Name: K-pop fans and TikTok teens troll Trump with fake registrations for first campaign rally in months
Uploaded: 2020-06-22T14:04:38.000Z
Duration: 1 min 42 s
Description: K-pop fans and TikTok teens troll Trump with fake registrations for first campaign rally in months

Fans of the South Korean soft power export have banded together to troll the US president and champion Black Lives Matter

Analysts say most of these fans are politically aware, liberal and masters of social media

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Fans cheer as K-pop group BTS performs in Central Park, New York City, in May 2019. Photo: AFP

Crystal TaiandJohn Power

Published: 10:04pm, 22 Jun 2020Updated: 3:54pm, 23 Jun 2020

Fans of K-pop have stepped into the spotlight as a political force, after claiming credit for derailing expectations of massive crowds for US President Donald Trump’s latest campaign rally and throwing their support behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

Thousands of K-pop fans and other social media users encouraged their followers on Twitter and TikTok to register for tickets for Trump’s Saturday appearance in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and then not show up – a prank that appears to have fuelled wildly inflated predictions of a huge turnout.

After Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale last week announced the event had received more than 1 million requests for tickets, the president ended up speaking at a 19,000-seat venue that was more than two thirds empty.

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K-pop fans and TikTok teens troll Trump with fake registrations for first campaign rally in months

His campaign blamed the poor turnout on “radical protesters” – though few were reported at the scene – and the media scaring supporters away. Among the Democrats greeting the images of empty seats with glee was New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who thanked Generation Z “zoomers” and K-pop allies for their “contributions in the fight for justice”.

In South Korea, K-pop idols are known for their saccharine image rather than their stance on politics, but the emergence of socially aware bands such as BTS is transforming perceptions of the industry.