The K-Pop Celebrities Displaying Solidarity for the Black Lives Matter Movement
Korean pop celebrities and fans have stepped up to express their solidarity over the #BlackLivesMatter movement, with many stepping up to donate to the cause. This follows the death of African American George Floyd from a police officer in the United States last month, which has since caught on from the United States to around the world.
From BTS to Chaelin, here are the K-pop artists who have stepped up in support for the cause.
BTS and Big Hit Entertainment
The popular Korean boyband and its Korean record label, Big Hit Entertainment, have donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter.
"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together," the band wrote on its official Twitter account, with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on June 4.
And never doubt the power of K-pop fans. Previously, they took over the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag on Twitter, to drown out racist sentiments. Now, the BTS army, the official fan group of BTS, have banded together to match the donation amount to Black Lives Matter. They reached their #MatchAMillion Goal, with donations surpassing $1 million just today which will help funds for bailouts, black-led advocacy organisations, and support for physical and mental health of the community.
Jay Park
The seattle-born Korean rapper donated $10,000 to Black Lives Matter and posted his thoughts about the movement on Instagram, expressing solidarity for the cause.
Mark T1uan of GOT7
The Los Angeles native and member of GOT7, Mark Tuan pledged $7,000 to the George Floyd Memorial Fund.
pH-1
Korean-American rapper Park Jun-won donated $3,000 to Black Lives Matter, and a $1000 donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. He has also been vocal with the cause on his official twitter account.
H1GHR MUSIC
Global hip-hop label founded by Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone came together to “donate $21,000 to campaign groups related to the movement". In addition, they took part in the BLACK OUT TUESDAY movement and changed their release schedule of their music release to another date. "H1gher Music supports the change towards a world where all personalities can live equally," they said in a tweet.
Public support for the #BLM movement
Since the movement, various Korean celebrities have used their voice to show their support for the movement.
Jackson Wang
MONSTA X
Chae Lin
The female artist posted on instagram with a powerful post urging K-pop fans to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and that K-pop was “inspired by black culture”, and that black artists such as Lauryn Hill, Beyonce and Janet Jackson was a huge inspiration to her over the years.
Tiffany Young
Eric Nam
Global pop stars, such as Kanye West and Micheal B Jordan have stepped up with multi-million dollar donations to the cause, and celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga who have pledged solidarity to the cause on their social media as well.
