During an anti-government protest site, Girls' Generation's debut song "Into The New World" was heard across the rally. Additionally, it was reported that Thai K-pop fans had collected donations to send to activists and have raised over 3 million baht.
Recently, tens of thousands of people gathered in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, to participate in a protest against the Thai government. The rally lasted for more than five days, with citizens calling for the revision of the junta government and calling for the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Many people are hoping for a reform of the monarchy.
Asia Today
Previously, on October 15. the government issued an emergency decree that stated that political gatherings of more than five people were banned, but protesters continued to rally regardless.
Among the many clips of the protests, a video clip was posted to social media on October 18th that drew much attention. In downtown Bangkok, a protester was seen dancing to Girls' Generation's "Into the New World", wearing a mask and singing. People can be seen gathered around him, cheering for him and singing along with the protester. As of October 20, Tuesday, the video has garnered over 400,000 viewers.
Into The New World at the pro-democracy protest in Thailand. She truly is the queen of protest songs wbk pic.twitter.com/bMiBZUpKjB— Hyunsu Yim 임현수 (@hyunsuinseoul) October 19, 2020
A college student who attended an anti-government protest said in an online interview with Asia Today, "I saw the video. I was not at the location where they were in. But sometimes, I play 'Into the New World' by Girls' Generation and sing it during the protests. I understand that this song was sung against the police during a candlelight vigil in South Korea back in 2017 to demand the resignation of the president. The song is LGBT+ friendly, feminist friend, and is loved by sexual minorities. I was informed by other friends that the song was used in other protests, such as the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement."
Another college student, P, said, "I don't know much K-pop, but I know the meaning of the song well because my K-pop loving friends translated the lyrics. Other people who participate in the rallies will also feel that this song has a special meaning." P also revealed he has memorized the line, "Al su eomneun miraewa byeok bakkuji ana pogihal su eopseo," which translates to, "With unknowable future and obstacles, I won't change, I can't give up."
SM Entertainment
Girls' Generation's "Into The New World" began to be used in protests in 2016. That year, students from Ewha Woman's Universit stage a sit-in protest at the school's main building. The students sang the song during their protest against the police and to promote feminism. Since then, the song has been used in various places in major rallies such as in candlelight vigils in 2017.
Listen to the song here!
On top of the appearance of K-pop songs in protests, K-pop fan clubs in Thailand have collected donations to donate to activists and have delivered them. According to local media outlets, K-pop fan clubs have collected and delivered about 3 million baht of donations. Girls' Generation's fan club, SONEs, collected the most donations, garnered about 780,000 baht. ELFs, Super Junior's fan club, made headlines in Thailand for collecting about 700,000 baht in less than 24 hours.
Other fan clubs of K-pop groups such as BTS, EXO, NCT, GOT7, NU'EST, and MONSTA X also donated a significant amount of money.
The K-pop fans' activities are not just limited to donations. On Twitter and other social media platforms, Thai fans are taking the time to inform other fans from both in and out of Thailand on what is happening in Thailand and asking for their supper.
A netizen who identified themselves as a high school student named "ARMY" told Asia Today, "There are many fans who have learned Korean because they love K-pop. They translate phrases that inform fans about the situation in Thailand and share them with other fans. After received the info, they are asked to spread the information about what is happening in Thailand through hashtags so everyone can speak up about the issue. ARMY and other fan clubs around the world, including Japan and Europe, are talking about it now."
The Thai Facebook page for BTS fans also urged K-pop fans to stop purchasing advertisements for BTS and other K-pop groups in the subway. Though it is a common practice to support your favorite idols, they reveal that that government might suspend subway operations, which will prevent people from participating in rallies.
