- Followers of Ok-pop group Enhypen despatched LED protest vehicles to the group’s firm constructing.
- The indicators name for the removing of feminine backup dancers from the group’s newest video.
- These protest vehicles are more and more frequent in Ok-pop, and are vital threats to corporations.
Followers who disagreed with the choreography chosen in Ok-pop group Enhypen’s newest music video determined to do one thing about it.
Protest vehicles with LED indicators had been despatched over to the workplace constructing of South Korean leisure firm HYBE on Wednesday. This passed off two days after the discharge of Enhypen’s newest tune titled “Chunk Me,” per Ok-pop information outlet Allkpop.
The followers had been requesting the removing of feminine backup dancers from the group’s newest choreography. Within the tune’s music video and stage performances, every singer of the seven-member group paired up with a feminine backup dancer throughout the refrain.
On Wednesday, images of the protest vehicles had been uploaded on theqoo, a preferred South Korean web discussion board. “Take away the paired choreography with the feminine dancers fully. Solely put the seven members on stage,” learn an LED signal on a protest truck.
“Belift Lab makes a idiot out of ready followers. The corporate that obstructs the way forward for singers. The corporate that doesn’t have the desire to develop. The label beneath HYBE with the least energy,” learn one other.
Belift Lab is the administration label of Enhypen, and is a subsidiary label beneath HYBE, which homes different well-known Ok-pop acts like BTS and NewJeans.
The tune offers with themes of darkish fantasy, telling the story of a person’s want to be with an individual whose love can solely be claimed by means of blood, per Genius.
The vehicular protest sparked combined critiques
“If the followers are saying they don’t prefer it, do common folks actually have a say if the followers are those spending the cash?” learn a Korean touch upon theqoo.
“In the event that they’re simply sad, isn’t sending a truck a bit extreme? It’s not even an ethical situation value criticism,” learn one other on theqoo.
Some followers have even despatched protest vehicles in response, to indicate their help for the choreography.
—Lily (@heeeism) May 24, 2023
“Chunk Me choreography the most effective!” learn an LED signal on a truck despatched by worldwide followers of Enhypen, as seen in a Tweet.
Protest vehicles have gotten a staple in Ok-pop fandoms
Simply inside the previous month, at the least three fleets of protest vehicles have been despatched to numerous leisure firm buildings for a large number of causes.
A fleet was despatched to complain a couple of Ok-pop group not releasing music for over 530 days, and one other was despatched calling for the removing of Ok-pop group members who had been beforehand embroiled in controversies, per Allkpop.
These LED protest vehicles can value round $220 to hire for a day, in response to the CEO of Advert Complete, an promoting company that rents out these vehicles, per South Korean information outlet The Hankyoreh.
These LED chariots appear to have an influence.
“Having vehicles drive round positively has an influence on us on many ranges,” mentioned an worker of an organization who witnessed an LED truck protest final yr, per South Korean information outlet Korea JoongAng Every day.
“Folks close to our firm who didn’t precisely know what was occurring turned conscious and even our personal workers — or worse, folks greater up — requested the associated groups what’s occurring. If the CEO or others develop into conscious, then it will get severe for us,” mentioned the worker, per JoongAng.
As an trade that’s simply impacted by shifts in shopper sentiment, these LED vehicles can function a big menace to Ok-pop leisure corporations as they carry folks’s “on-line voices” into actual life, mentioned Kim Si-wuel, professor of shopper info science at Konkuk College, per JoongAng.
“Firms take utmost care to indicate the most effective model and picture of themselves, so when customers get folks unrelated to the problem concerned, it damages the businesses so much,” mentioned Kim.
Insider has reached out to Belift Lab for remark.