A meme shared on social media depicting Southeast Asian countries confronting Korea / Captured from X
An escalating online dispute over perceived racism has triggered a widespread online movement across Southeast Asia, with internet users calling for a boycott of major Korean companies and pop culture.
Using the hashtag "#SEAbling" — combining "Southeast Asia" and "sibling" — internet users from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have united to protest a perceived Korean superiority complex. The regional solidarity movement has expanded beyond initial calls to halt travel to Korea and is now targeting corporate giants like Samsung and the cosmetics retail chain Olive Young.
Regional media outlets, including Indonesia's Jakarta Post, reported on the boycotts last weekend. The publications traced the dispute to a recent concert by the Korean band DAY6 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the event, a Korean attendee broke venue rules over photography and clashed with local security guards. A Southeast Asian fan filmed the altercation and shared it online, sparking the initial tensions.
The localized dispute quickly devolved into racist attacks. Korean internet users mocked the economies, cultures and physical appearances of Southeast Asians, circulating images depicting Southeast Asian women as monkeys. In retaliation, Southeast Asian users insulted Korean independence activists and criticized the country's high rates of plastic surgery.
An internet user presumed to be Indonesian declares a boycott of K-pop and K-dramas to "protect national dignity" against racism while cutting a K-pop photocard in a video shared on Threads, Sunday. Captured from Threads
The hostility has prompted fans to publicly reject Korean pop culture. On Sunday, an internet user presumed to be Indonesian posted a video on the social media platform Threads that showed them destroying a K-pop CD and photo cards with scissors.
"I have decided to stop being a K-pop and K-drama fan because I choose to defend my religion and the dignity of my people against racism," the user wrote in the post. "South Korean netizens can mock and insult us. But we will never be ashamed of our religion or our roots."
A Southeast Asian social media user shares an image calling for a boycott of K-dramas. Captured from X
The online backlash has prompted some Korean travel forums to raise safety concerns regarding trips to Southeast Asia, with some users warning others to "be careful when traveling to Malaysia." However, observers warn against treating online vitriol as an accurate reflection of public sentiment. Voices within Southeast Asian countries have also urged restraint, noting that the general Korean public remains largely unaware of the boycott.
Source: Korea Times News
