How £55 funeral wreaths sent by disgruntled K-pop fans became a public menace

Earlier this year, 1 of South Korea’s biggest amusement companies, SM Entertainment, recovered the plaza extracurricular their office successful Seoul filled with hundreds of ceremonial wreaths. Sent by fans of 1 of the K-pop groups the institution manages, the floral tributes lined the thoroughfare not successful mourning, but arsenic a signifier of protestation astatine the instrumentality of a lad set subordinate they deemed controversial.

Once a solemn awesome of mourning, ceremonial wreaths person taken connected a caller relation successful South Korea—as a awesome of protest.

Korean media reports suggest ceremonial wreaths started being utilized arsenic a signifier of protestation archetypal successful 2006, aft residents who opposed the improvement of a water parkland successful South Chungcheong Province sent them to section authorities offices. Similar protests successful 2021 implicit the decease of 16-month-old Jung-in, who was fatally abused by her adoptive parents, brought wide attraction to the systemic negligence successful South Korea’s adoption process, prompting nationalist outrage and demands for reform.

However, what began arsenic a signifier of protestation aimed astatine holding authorities institutions and nationalist servants accountable has present devolved into a instrumentality for K-pop fans to people young artists for idiosyncratic choices, turning what was erstwhile a means of demanding justness into a limb for enforcing toxic fandom standards and engaging successful nationalist shaming.

RIIZE, a lad set managed by SM Entertainment, was embroiled successful contention aft backstage photos of subordinate Seunghan which showed him kissing an unidentified pistillate successful a furniture and smoking a cigaret were leaked successful August 2023. Seunghan was enactment connected an indefinite hiatus pursuing outrage by immoderate fans astatine what they considered inappropriate behaviour for a K-pop idol.

In October this year, SM Entertainment’s announcement that Seunghan would beryllium returning to the set was met with disapproval by fans, who chose to flood the company’s office with ceremonial wreaths carrying messages for the 21-year-old to permission the group.

According to Korean media, implicit 1,000 ceremonial wreaths were sent, with messages reading, “Who Are You, Hong Seunghan?’ and “Seunghan, Leave”.

The often elaborate wreaths, which outgo betwixt $70 and $170 (£55 and £134), person go an progressively communal awesome of the utmost parasocial relationships betwixt idols and fans that amusement companies successful South Korea heavy promote.

Shortly aft the wreaths started to arrive, Park Jae-hyung, a erstwhile subordinate of the South Korean stone set Day6, called them “attempted murder”, echoing galore others who described the wreaths addressed to individuals arsenic bullying.

“The ceremonial flowers were disgusting. The aforesaid radical who sent them volition beryllium the archetypal ones online mourning the tragic result they fought for. God forbid calamity occurs but I’ve been connected that broadside earlier and It was close. I can’t ideate the trauma it would origin idiosyncratic that young,” helium posted.

“Anyone progressive successful the flowers should beryllium tried for attempted execution due to the fact that that is what that was.”

Hybe, the multinational amusement institution that manages immoderate of the biggest bands successful Korea, including BTS, Seventeen, New Jeans, and Le Sserafim, saw ceremonial wreaths respective times successful 2024.

First, successful May, erstwhile fans sent them to protestation what they saw arsenic inaction by the institution implicit “baseless allegations and defamation against BTS”. In October, erstwhile BTS subordinate Suga had his licence revoked aft helium was recovered riding an electrical scooter backmost location portion intoxicated, fans sent successful wreaths with his sanction to the institution demanding that helium beryllium removed from the band.

Kim Seung Jin, who has lived successful the country adjacent the SM office for implicit 20 years, described the wreaths and protests arsenic a nationalist nuisance.

“At first, the SM gathering brought a bully vibe, but lately it feels similar there’s a protestation whenever thing goes wrong. Trucks with signs demanding idols to permission oregon instrumentality are a regular sight,“ helium said.

Another resident, Lee Jung-Eun, said seeing the wreaths was unsettling. “I recognize fans are upset, but seeing these wreaths astatine nighttime tin beryllium eerie. It feels similar they’re starting to impact the full neighborhood’s appearance.”

South Korean constabulary person begun to dainty the wreaths arsenic symbolic expressions of outrage, routinely classifying them arsenic nationalist civilian protests. In immoderate cases, authorities are allowed to and adjacent expected to guarantee these displays are protected, since they are considered a ineligible signifier of protestation nether South Korea’s nationalist objection laws.

Citizens are allowed to nonstop successful ceremonial wreaths arsenic agelong arsenic they taxable an exertion 48 hours successful beforehand and database the items being utilized successful the protestation arsenic good arsenic however galore determination volition be.

“Funeral wreaths are present considered protestation materials, truthful the fig intended for usage indispensable beryllium declared successful advance,” a constabulary authoritative told The Korea Times.

However, determination is present increasing interest that the wreaths are crossing ethical lines, particularly erstwhile they transportation messages aimed astatine individuals alternatively of entities similar authorities institutions oregon corporations.

Some experts person argued that if wreaths represent targeted idiosyncratic attacks, oregon adjacent perceived decease threats, they whitethorn breach defamation, harassment, oregon intimidation laws nether South Korea’s Criminal Act.

Enforcing penalties for unauthorised ceremonial wreath protests is challenging owed to a operation of ineligible and logistical hurdles. A important contented is the trouble of tracing the buyers of the wreaths, since they are often delivered by third-party vendors, making it astir intolerable to place the individuals oregon groups responsible. A Seongdong District Office authoritative noted that lone transportation unit are disposable during these protests, limiting corrective constabulary action.

Police accidental that dissimilar unsafe objects that airs contiguous threats to nationalist safety, wreaths bash not warrant swift removal connected these grounds​.

Moreover, the ineligible presumption of the wreaths complicates matters. Even erstwhile they obstruct nationalist spaces, wreaths are considered backstage property, preventing authorities from easy removing them without risking ineligible disputes.