An online feud among K-pop fans over a Korean accused of behaving poorly at a concert in Malaysia has escalated into a more general conflict between Koreans and Southeast Asians, with some Southeast Asian users even threatening to launch a boycott against Korea.

“What started as a ruckus at a K-pop concert in Malaysia has snowballed into a wave of racist online attacks by some South Korean users against Southeast Asians, triggering a rare show of regional solidarity across social media,” the Jakarta Post reported on Monday.


The dispute reportedly began following a DAY6 concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Jan. 31, when a person identified as a Korean fan site operator allegedly snuck a professional camera with a long lens into the venue, despite such equipment being banned on the premises. After Malaysian netizens shared a video of the individual in question on social media, Korean online users accused them of violating the person's privacy. Malaysians countered that the person was being exposed for breaking the rules.

The situation quickly evolved into a general spat between Korea and Southeast Asia. Some Southeast Asian users mocked Korea for its plastic surgery culture and high suicide rate, leading Koreans to retaliate with racist insults aimed at Southeast Asians' eating culture and appearances, likening them to gorillas.

A few Southeast Asian users made offensive remarks against comfort women, referring to Korean wartime sexual slavery victims during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, and independence activists.

Users from other Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, chipped in and even asserted their willingness to boycott Korean pop culture content and Korean-made items from brands such as Samsung Electronics and Olive Young. This led to the online hashtag “SEAbling,” a portmanteau of the abbreviation for Southeast Asia and “sibling.”

Sofia Hasna, a pop culture expert from Muhammadiyah Jakarta University, noted that Koreans should learn from this recent clash, “or else they risk losing Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.”

However, some fans cautioned that the squabble involves only a subset of Southeast Asians, with one K-pop enthusiast calling them “mostly incels seeking to bait reactions,” according to the Jakarta Post.

DAY6's agency JYP Entertainment has not commented on the matter.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]