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Lightstick protests

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lightstick protests
Part of 2024 South Korean martial law crisis, Winter Bluebird Movement, Protests against the 2026 Iran war, and Gen Z protests in Asia
An example of lightstick protests in South Korea
DateSouth Korea
March 12, 2024 (2024-03-12) – 4 April 2026
Taiwan
December 2024 – 2025
Japan
February 27, 2026 – Ongoing
Location

East Asia:
South Korea
Taiwan
Japan
Caused by
Result
  • Success in South Korea
    • Coup d'état attempt by Yoon Suk Yeol failed
    • Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol
Parties
Grassroots movements in South Korea
Grassroots movements in Taiwan
Democratic Progressive Party
Grassroots movements in Japan

The lightstick protests, alternatively known as a penlight demonstrations[a] is a form of peaceful protest phenomenon in East Asia characterized by the synchronized use of electronic concert lightsticks. The movement originated in South Korea in December 2024 during mass demonstrations against emergency martial law, where youth demographics substituted traditional wax candles with colorful K-pop lightsticks. The tactic subsequently spread to Japan and Taiwan, where it has been adopted by Generation Z activists to oppose government policies, advocate for peace, and protest constitutional reforms. By integrating idol fandom culture into political dissent, the movement aims to lower the barrier to civic engagement and destigmatize public protests. The protests were defined as a direct evolution of candlelight rallies, sometimes called Candlelight Protest 2.0,[3] and as Gen Z protests.[4][5]

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]

South Korea

[edit]

The use of luminous objects in East Asian civic activism draws heavily upon a long-standing tradition of candlelight vigils and mass nocturnal assemblies. The primary structural precursor is South Korea's "candlelight rally" (chotbul jibhoe) culture. Starting on September 26, 1992 when online users gathered to oppose the charging of the online service of Kotel, which had stopped being free of charge when "Korea PC Telecom" acquired the company,[6] South Korea's candlelight rallies culture intensified following 2002, when internet cafes organized a significant protest in Gwanghwamun Square to condemn the death of two Korean girls by US armoured vehicles on military training manoeuvres.[7][8]

Since then, mass candle-lit assemblies became a signature of South Korean civil resistance, culminating in the historic 2016–2017 "Candlelight Revolution" that led, through the mobilization of millions of individuals, to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.[7][9] During these protests lightsticks started to first appear as a sign of protest in resonse to Kim Jin-tae's statement that "candlelights will eventually go out when the wind blows", alongside apps which showcased images of candlelights.[10]

Following the 2016–2017 events, candlelight vigils remained the primary baseline for South Korean public assemblies, with other uses such as advocating a reform of the korean prosecution.[11]

Taiwan

[edit]

The basis of the lightsticks protests in Taiwan stem from the Bluebird Movement. The initial May 2024 rallies outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, lightsticks were not yet widely used. However, K-pop and Mandopop fandom communities established the exact organizational framework that would later define the lightstick protests. Taiwanese fans utilized internet spaces to translate political news, design custom protest fan art, and, in a move borrowed directly from K-pop agency protest culture, crowdfunded an LED truck within a few hours to park near the parliament, broadcasting pro-democracy messages and synchronized videos.[12][13]

Original protest

[edit]

A structural and cultural shift occurred during the December 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. On December 3, 2024, President Yoon Suk-yeol suddenly declared emergency martial law, triggering immediate mass mobilization outside the National Assembly in Seoul. Using rapid social media coordination, some of these daily demonstrations saw a widespread substitution of traditional wax candles with official K-pop electronic lightsticks (eungwonbong) from groups including SHINee, NCT, Highlight, NewJeans, WOODZ, BTS, GFriend, Blackpink, Stray Kids and Seventeen.[4][14][15][16] The protests were described similarly to a concert, with songs such as "March for the Beloved", "In the Wilderness", "Into the New World," Aespa's "Whiplash," Rosé's "APT," Seventeen's BooSeokSoon's "Go Ahead," and G-Dragon's "Crooked" playing in the background.[15][17] When asked about why they had brought lightsticks to the protests instead of candles, some protesters cited Kim Jin-tae's statement from back in 2016, stating that "lightsticks shine for 24 hours".[18] Social medias and the wider internet were used as a way to show solidarity to the protests; some sellers of lightsticks on the internet lent their items temporarily free of charge, whilst other users prepaid coffees and gimbaps for the demonstrators to claim.[19]

Despite being the main symbol, lightsticks were not the only items brought to these protests, with flags featuring slogans and sarcastic remarks such as "National Quokka Conservation Association," "Star Wars Resistance Seoul Branch," "Single-Person Household Planetary Alliance," and "Dog Foot Odor Research Society" also popped up.[3][20] Another popular item was the glowstick,[20] a cheaper alternative to the fandom-tied lightsticks.

On 9 December 2024, as a callback to the original lightstick protest, and in respect towards those who participated in it, Jung Chung-rae recited the lyric of "Into the New World" in the parliamentary judiciary committee.[17]

Subsequent protests

[edit]

South Korea

[edit]

On January 2, 2025, mass nightly rallies organized in Gwanghwamun Plaza and central Seoul heavily deployed fandom "eungwonbong" alongside traditional placards.[21] Such protests continued into the rest of January 2026, accompanying the impeachment procedure of Yuun Suk-Yeol.[22]

Taiwan

[edit]

The tactical transition to a true "lightstick protest" (yìngyuánbàng shìwēi) in Taiwan materialized between December 18 and 20, 2024.[12][23] This domestic legislative crisis occurred concurrently with the massive post-martial law demonstrations in Seoul, South Korea. Viral video documentation of South Korean youth deploying battery-operated "eungwonbong" directly inspired Taiwanese K-pop fans to systematically replicate the tactic.[13] Over 15,000 demonstrators flooded the evening rallies in Taipei carrying the official concert lightsticks of diverse idol groups, including Super Junior, SEVENTEEN, TVXQ, Infinite, NCT, and Miss A. The movement popularized the slogan "My Bias is Taiwan" (我的本命是台灣, Wǒ de běnmìng shì Táiwān), substituting a traditional political party identity with the subcultural concept of a běnmìng (one's absolute favorite or ultimate idol[24]).[12]

The visible presence of concert merchandise drew sharp condemnation from opposition lawmakers. Politicians from the Kuomintang party publicly dismissed the youth protesters as "crazy star-chasers" and accused them of being paid operatives of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to buy expensive merchandise. Following these claims, protesters updated the digital display on their crowdfunded LED truck to read explicitly: "I bought my own lightsticks" and "Democracy must be upheld so that star-chasing can be an everyday practice." Protesters argued that democratic structures were what guaranteed the fundamental civil liberty to consume global pop culture freely without state censorship.[12][13]

The Economic Democracy Union (經民連) and the Taiwan Citizen Front (台灣公民陣線) institutionalized the momentum of the late 2024 protests by launching a long-term, decentralized circuit of regional assemblies known as the "L滥权立委究责会" (Accountability Rallies for Abusive Legislators). On 2 January 2025, a mass assembly in Banqiao drew over 700 participants. The fan-crowdfunded "Star-Chasing Truck" returned to the venue, projecting synchronized digital slogans via its LED displays while attendees rhythmically waved electronic lightsticks. On 8 January 2025, the rolling lightstick rallies expanded to Taichung, on 15 January in Miaoli, on 19 January in Hualien and continued dynamically into the spring.[25][26]

The massive reliance on foreign K-pop "eungwonbong" prompted a coalition of Taiwanese youth designers and fan organizers to launch an independent crowdfunding initiative in early 2025 known as the "Taiwan Lightstick Project", also known as "Democratic Lightstick". However, the rapid influx of capital and the sheer scale of manufacturing led to significant internal friction. By February 2025, production delays, product labeling anomalies, and invoice distribution issues caused a wave of consumer frustration, prompting some purchasers to organize a formal "Consumer Self-Help Association" to demand financial audits.[27]

Japan

[edit]
External videos
video icon Kyodo News report on the 8 April protest

Lightstick protests in Japan started on 27 February 2026, when 3.600 individuals showed up in front of Japan’s National Diet Building.[28][29] Other lightstick protests took place on 10 March (with an attendance of 8.600 people) and 25 March (with an attendance of 24.000 people).[29]

The protests started to intensify and enlarge starting on 8 April, on Hanamatsuri, and 19 April 2026, protests once again took place in front of the Japan’s National Diet Building to protest the plan of revisiting the Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, playing aespa's song "Whiplash",[5] and with a significant presence of lightsticks.[30] Approximately 30,000 people attended the first event, where participants did utilized lightsticks, but also engaged in oshikatsu which was adapted as a form of political protest against the National Diet.[30][31]

On Constitution Memorial Day, at Tokyo's Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, 50,000 people participated in a protest against Sanae Takaichi and her government.[5][32] The protest chanted slogans against Takaichi, played Kara's K-POP song "Mister" and utilized lightsticks as symbols, inspired by the protests that took place in South Korea.[5]

After the massive central gatherings in Tokyo on 3 May, the movement decentralized. Activists used localized online platforms like the Demo Calendar to organize regional, neighborhood-level events. Instead of traveling to the National Diet Building, citizens brought their concert lightsticks to local train stations, including a 250 person rally at Kamata Station and widespread "Lightsticks & Reading Nights" in regional prefectures like Miyazaki and Fukuoka. These decentralized actions frequently adopted the slogan "Lightsticks Over Swords" (剣よりペンライト).[33] On 27 June 2026, a lightstick protest occurred in Kiryu, most of the participants this time being elderly individuals.[34] On May 29 the "Light of Protest" actions outside the parliament buildings managed to draw thousands of participants who used the approachable "lightstick culture" to lower the entry barrier for first-time protesters.[35]

Demographics

[edit]

In South Korea, demographics analysis of the initial lightsticks protests identified people who were mostly in their 20s,[18] part of what was defined as the MZ Generation (Millennials and Generation Z).[19] Older generations also participated during the protests but were unfamiliar with K-POP fandoms and the meaning of individual lightsticks; This led to the exchanges between the two demographic groups, where younger people taught older generations about their fandom and the symbolism of the lightsticks, whilst the older generation taught the younger ones specific "traditional" Korean protests chant which were used in the past.[36] Overtime the protests in South Korea became Gen Z-led as their participation gradually increased from the December 2024 protests onwards.[20][37] Despite being 12% of the South Korean population at the time,[38] women aged 20 to 40 composed one third of the overall anti-Yoon rallies (which into itself included the lightstick protests).[39][40]

Fount Media, a local newspaper, reported the presence of young people in the protests that took place in Taiwan, adding that it was the same "generation" as the one that had recently rose up in the same way in South Korea.[41]

The lightstick protests in Japan featured members of the MZ Generation, but were defined as Gen-Z led and as Gen Z protests.[42] These protests were also participated by individuals who identified themselves as "otakus".[43]

In Pop culture

[edit]

Lighsticks have become a recognized symbol of democracy following the protests.[44][45]

In December 2024, K-POP artists showed solidarity with lighstick protests, and more widely, also with anti-Yoon protests, including NewJeans and IU. Filmmaker Park Chan-wook also showed support.[46]

On 1 June 2026, Sakaomi Yuzaki, the mangaka of the manga "She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat", posted an artistic depiction of her characters participating in a lightstick protest, alongside with the hashtags #NoWar and #PrideMonth.[47]

Aftermath

[edit]

The lightstick protests in South Korea, like the rest of the anti-Yoon protests, reached their goal once that on April 4, 2025, the Constitutional Court officially upheld the impeachment, stripping Yoon Suk Yeol of his presidency permanently.[48] A snap presidential election was triggered immediately after. The progressive opposition won, shifting South Korea's domestic and foreign policy direction away from Yoon's conservative platform,[49] but keeping some of its characteristics.[50]

In Taiwan, instead, it contributed to a structural deadlock between the presidency and parliament on the terms of the "three major bills".[51]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Korean: 응원봉 시위; RR: eungwonbong siwi; Japanese: ペンライトデモ, romanized: Penraitto Demo; Chinese: 應援棒示威; pinyin: yìngyuánbàng shìwēi

Further readings

[edit]
  • Wang, Erika Ningxin; Huang, Qian (2026). Fandom Nationalism: Participatory Censorship and Performative Patriotism in East Asia. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 979-8765125168
  • 이희주; 일석; 구구 (2025). 《케이팝 응원봉 걸스: 광장에서 만난 팬걸에게 묻다》. 클레이하우스. ISBN 979-1193132585.
  • Kim, Kyonghwa (2026). Megahon to Penraito: Kankoku no 'Sawaginagara Minshushugi' [Megaphones and Penlights: South Korea's 'Noisy Democracy'] (in Japanese). Koseisha. ISBN 978-4-7744-0886-6.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Public Television Service (PTS) News (2024-12-20). "立法院通過選罷、憲訴等3大修法 財劃法三讀財政部估增釋3753億【完整記錄】". PTS News Taiwan. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  2. ↑ 박안수·곽종근·이진우·여인형·추경호·한동훈...적극 가담, 부화수행, 방조, 국헌 문란자 모두를 처벌하라 Archived 10 February 2025 at the Wayback Machine. The Hankyoreh
  3. 1 2 "[충북일보] 촛불시위 2.0 열정과 희망". 충북일보 (in Korean). 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  4. 1 2 "K-pop light sticks fire up Yoon's impeachment protests in South Korea". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Japan's Gen Z protests feature K-pop tunes, light sticks - The Korea Times". Korea Times. 2026-05-06. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  6. ↑ "[브랜드 흥망사] 추억으로 남은 온라인 문화의 고향, PC통신 하이텔". it.donga.com (in Korean). 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  7. 1 2 Kim, Sun-Chul (2017-02-07). "South Korea's candlelight protests | East Asia Forum | East Asia Forum". Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  8. ↑ Kang, Jiyeon (June 2009). "Coming to Terms with "Unreasonable" Global Power: The 2002 South Korean Candlelight Vigils". Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies. 6 (2): 171–192. doi:10.1080/14791420902833155. ISSN 1479-1420.
  9. ↑ Hyun-ju, Ock (2016-12-09). "Candle revolution: how candles led to Park's impeachment". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  10. ↑ "Taking to the streets: The evolution of Korea's rally culture". Daum | 코리아중앙데일리. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  11. ↑ 김주환 (2019-09-28). "검찰개혁 대규모 촛불집회…서초·반포대로 1.6㎞ 가득 메워(종합) | 연합뉴스". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Wu, Chee-Hann (2025-05-02). "Taiwan Is My Favourite: K-pop Fans in The Bluebird Movement". Taiwan Insight. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  13. 1 2 3 Wu, Chee-Hann (2025-01-27). "Winter Bluebirds: K-Pop in the Social Movement". Taiwan Insight. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  14. ↑ "K-pop light sticks become new candle lights for Korean democracy - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2024-12-08. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  15. 1 2 Soo-Young, Kim (9 December 2024). "K-pop Idol Lightstick Firepower Fierceer Than Candlelight... Summoning 'Reply 1988' [Issue+]". Hankyung. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  16. ↑ 기자, 강한들 기자, 배시은 기자, 이홍근 기자, 고희진 (2024-12-07). "[현장] '아이돌 굿즈'부터 '성탄 무드등'까지…집회 밝힌 탄핵 소품들". 경향신문 (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. 1 2 Rashid, Raphael (2024-12-11). "South Korea deploys K-pop light sticks and dance in protests against president". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  18. 1 2 조선일보 (2024-12-08). "촛불 대신 아이돌 응원봉... '尹 탄핵' 집회 현장 바꾸는 2030". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  19. 1 2 "Waving Lightsticks Instead of Candles, K-pop Group Singing... MZ Generation Changed It [Cheongchun Report]". The Asia Business Daily. 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  20. 1 2 3 기자, 유규상·김서호 (2024-12-09). ""저도 처음인데, 같이 갈까요?"…#시위동행, SNS로 뭉치는 Z세대". 서울신문 (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  21. ↑ Yoon, John (2025-01-03). "South Korea's Political Drama Plays Out in a Day of Dueling Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  22. ↑ Park, Juwon (2025-01-25). "South Koreans turn funeral wreaths and K-pop light sticks into political protest tools". AP News. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  23. ↑ 施旖婕. "追星族持應援手燈赴立院抗議 紅到國外了！韓媒關注報導". 鏡週刊 Mirror Media (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  24. ↑ "本命: Definitions and Translations | Jyut Dictionary". jyutdictionary.com. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  25. ↑ 中央通訊社 (2025-01-08). "冬季青鳥在台中辦活動 針對多名立委提出究責 | 政治". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  26. ↑ 發電機, 社運 (2025-01-02). "【新聞稿】冬季青鳥在新北，濫權立委究責會". 公民行動影音紀錄資料庫. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  27. ↑ TVBS. "「台灣手燈」傳消費爭議應援青鳥組自救會 家：律師將協助說明│TVBS新聞網". TVBS (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  28. ↑ Fukuhura, Hidenobu (19 April 2026). "反戦のペンライトデモ広がる　富永京子氏が見た「DIY」的特徴" [Anti-war lightstick demonstrations spread: Kyoko Tominaga's observations on the "DIY" characteristics.]. Mainichi. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  29. 1 2 "30,000 rally near Diet as protests against Constitution revision gain traction across Japan". Mainichi Daily News. 2026-04-09. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  30. 1 2 "〈関係性の音楽考〉ペンライトのサウンドスケープ｜ササマユウコ┃関係性の音楽┃芸術教育デザイン室CONNECT". note（ノート） (in Japanese). 2026-04-18. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  31. ↑ "「イエーイ 人生初デモ」｜しんぶん赤旗｜日本共産党". しんぶん赤旗｜日本共産党 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  32. ↑ "50,000 people rally in Tokyo against revising pacifist Constitution". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  33. ↑ Tokyo, Jcp (2026-06-01). "ペンライト行動を地元でも 国会前に連帯し各地で". JCP TOKYO (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  34. ↑ "桐生タイムス". 桐生タイムス. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  35. ↑ "白い花束や編み物も 国会前のペンライトデモに集まる多様な「光」：朝日新聞". 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). 2026-06-03. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  36. ↑ "탄핵시위로 '세대 통합'…청년 "민중가요 배워" 중장년 "K팝 학습"". Daum | 한겨레. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  37. ↑ Discussed in a lecture by human geographer Yoonai Han, named "Asia Academy #26 From Crypto Dreams to Lightstick Protests: Korean Youths Hyperconnected but Fragmented", which took place on 21 May 2026, at Wijnhaven Complex Room 2.19, Turfmarkt 99, The Hague.
  38. ↑ "KOSIS". gsis.kwdi.re.kr. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  39. ↑ "Can South Korean politics make way for its 'Light Stick Revolutionaries?'". Fuller. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  40. ↑ Daily, The Chosun (2024-12-15). "Young women lead the call for President Yoon's impeachment in Seoul protests". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  41. ↑ "【千言萬語】『追星人』青鳥讓台灣有光". 放言Fount Media. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  42. ↑ "Japan's Gen Z protests feature K-pop tunes, light sticks - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2026-05-06. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  43. ↑ Ki-beom, By Kim (2026-04-02). ""Otaku love peace" waves of light sticks…Japan antiwar and anti-constitutional revision protests undergo a 'Korean-style evolution'". 경향신문. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  44. ↑ "K-Pop Light Sticks: A New Symbol of Democracy". Humanities Across Borders. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  45. ↑ "Can South Korean politics make way for it's 'Light Stick Revolutionaries?'". Fuller. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  46. ↑ "NewJeans, IU, Park Chan-wook show solidarity with impeachment protesters - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  47. ↑ ハフポスト日本版編集部 (2026-06-11). "「戦争反対『HAPPY』だけじゃないんだぜ」反戦デモに参加する主人公たち。『作りたい女と食べたい女』にファン感激". ハフポスト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  48. ↑ "Yoon Suk Yeol: Cheers and boos as SK president's impeachment upheld by court". www.bbc.com. 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  49. ↑ Draudt-Véjares, Darcie (2025-05-29). "The Transformation of South Korean Progressive Foreign Policy". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  50. ↑ "South Korea election: Yoon's legacy partially survives progressive victory". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  51. ↑ "Executive Yuan to seek remedies for amendments to three major laws". 26 December 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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