How a K-pop concert in Malaysia led to a war of words between Southeast Asian and Korean netizens

If you’ve been anywhere near X or Threads lately, you’ve likely seen the escalating online clash between Southeast Asian users, affectionately dubbed SEAblings, and South Korean netizens.

For the past few days, both camps have traded hostile barbs – with Korean commenters targeting Southeast Asians’ looks, culture and economic standing, and SEAblings retaliating with jabs at South Korea’s societal issues, including its high suicide rate and falling birth rate, as well as the pervasiveness of plastic surgery in the country.

The cause of all this mayhem: Fans' actions at a K-pop concert in Malaysia.

WHAT SPARKED THE SEABLINGS VS KOREA BATTLE?

On Jan 31, South Korean band Day6 staged a concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which saw attendees from all over the region, including South Korea. Following the concert, a few Malaysian fans went online to air their grievances about Korean fansites that had sneaked in large professional cameras and lenses into the venue and taken photos of the event.

Within the K-pop context, fansites are dedicated fans who document idols at public schedules – from concerts to airport appearances – using professional-grade cameras. Most are run by individuals, though some operate as small teams. Beyond photography, many organise fan-funded projects such as birthday cafes and celebratory ads. While fansites are not officially endorsed by idols or their agencies, they are a vital part of fandom culture as fans rely on them for high-quality photos and videos, and some idols have even praised the images captured by these accounts.

However, organisers for Day6's concert in Malaysia explicitly stated that no cameras or video equipment of any kind were allowed in the venue. As such, fans in Malaysia called out the actions of the fansites at Day6's concert, with one video showing the face of a fansite.

And so began a heated argument, with Korean fans opposing the posting of the fansite’s photo, and Malaysian fans countering that fansites should respect the rules of the host country.

HOW DID THINGS ESCALATE?

Although the fansite eventually apologised, tensions between the two communities remained high. 

One Korean user defended the fansite and blasted the user who uploaded the fansite's face, saying: “She already apologised, so you should say sorry too for recklessly taking and uploading photos of a private individual.

“If you're going to like Korean singers, at least try to respect Korean culture... Or else stop consuming fansite photos on your timeline. Is this a trait of foreign b******? ... that's disgusting.”

Malaysian users then retorted, saying that foreign fans help propel the popularity of K-pop in the region through streams and merchandise purchases.

The same user later posted: “Why the hell are you sucking up to Korean singers? Go stan artistes from your own damn country.”

And thus, users from other Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, entered the fray – defending Malaysia and highlighting the success of pop groups from their respective countries, including Indonesian girl group No Na.

A user from South Korea then insulted the music video of No Na's Shoot video, saying: “Were they so broke they couldn't rent a set and had to film it in a rice field... What is this? Are they on their way to transplant rice seedlings?”

This triggered even more Southeast Asian users, especially those from Thailand and Vietnam, to step in, with a Thai user claiming to have just logged in to comment. "Don't you dare insult my Indonesian favourite," the user wrote.

Other insults that have been hurled include the comparing Southeast Asian people to chimpanzees, mocking the English proficiency levels of South Korean netizens as well as the high suicide rate in the country.

WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THE CONFLICT NOW?

The conflict has since spilled to multiple social media platforms, splintering into countless arguments across comment threads, so much so that many users no longer realise it all began with a K-pop concert.

Nonetheless, some Southeast Asian users say the dispute has revealed just how strong and united the bonds between their countries truly are.

As one user from the Philippines puts it: “[Koreans] seem unaware that if they drag one SEA country, the entire SEA region will jump at them...We may have our differences, sure, but we still got each other's back like siblings.”