The “K Pop For Planet” movement has proved increasingly popular with the fans of the Korean hit makers. What started off as a voluntary role for a small base of fans has turned into a full time job for the fans and environmentalists.
The group is funded by Action Speaks Louder, a charity based in Australia who lobby to hold big firms accountable for their climate change policies.
The culture of buying physical albums remains strong for many K-pop fans. It’s a way of showing their support for their favourite band and there’s excitement in finding a photocard of your ‘bias’ (a K-pop fan term for your favourite member of a band) stashed inside the album. It is a culture that can lead to overconsumption as fans buy up multiple copies of one album to boost their favourite band and collect as many photocards as possible.
They believe that their lobbying is having a real word impact on the industry. Besides targeting the big companies, Kpop 4 planet has also tackled deforestation in South America. Fan gifts are popular in K-pop culture. Groups of K-Pop fans will come together to buy pricey gifts for their idols. Kpop4planet started a small initiative to plant or adopt trees for their idols and fandoms to “show care for our forests”.
The fandom has been also been compared to a “cult” and is seen by some as overly obsessive and toxic. But the group remain definat. In response to critics they say “We are so glad that our platform can be a safe space for K-pop fans that are looking for friends to work on climate action together”
This is an interesting example of fan culture moving to environmentalism. It remains to be seen if it can or will catch on within other subcultures, as space between consumer and activism becomes more aligned.
