KOREAN NET

The Associated Press on May 14 in its article headlined "K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals" highlighted the related activism of such fans. (Official AP website)

By Choi Jin-woo

The millions of online communities of K-pop fans around the world are seeing higher participation in climate and environmental activism.

The Associated Press (AP) in its May 14 article headlined "K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals" said, "Fans of Korean pop bands around the world are increasingly channeling their millions-strong online community into climate and environmental activism, protesting business deals linked to coal power, urging K-pop entertainers to cut waste and raising awareness about climate-related issues."

"Other climate activist groups have begun joining forces with Kpop4Planet, an environmental group founded in 2021 by K-pop fans Nurul Sarifah and Dayeon Lee," it added. "After Kpop4Planet petitioned South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co., it recently scrapped a deal linked to coal power plants in Indonesia."

"I spotted how K-pop fans can be seen as a potential power," Kpop4Planet co-founder Nurul Sarifah was quoted as saying. "We think we can harness that power for climate change action."

The article highlighted the group's efforts to demand a reduction in waste stemming from the culture of photo card collection, which is marked by entertainment companies releasing albums with dozens of such cards.

The AP further quoted Sarifah as saying, "There were changes after our campaigning: major entertainment companies published environmental, social and governance reports and published eco-friendly albums, including some releasing records using QR codes to minimize waste."

paramt@korea.kr