Anti K-Pop Islam and Nationalism

(Anti) K-Pop, Islam, and Nationalism
Suray Agung Nugroho1
Abstract
Korean wave has taken and influenced the world by storm for almost arguably 2 decades by now.
Despite its rosy success in most parts of the world and despite its seemingly ever-increasing
demand for its consumption, there has been a concern of its (mostly online) anti-Korean wave
movement voiced by religious advocates from Indonesia and Malaysia, for instance. This study
attempts to map out some of the visible anti-Korean wave sentiments in online sphere in Malaysia
and in Indonesia, particularly anti K-Pop from the span of 2010 until 2018. In so doing, it is
intended to give a flipside background of the seemingly burgeoning Korean-influence in those
countries. Despite its non-conclusiveness, this study attempts to bring out alternative trajectories
in finding the possible strategies to strengthen or maintain the co-existence between Muslimmajority countries (through the cases of Malaysia and Indonesia) and South Korea through the
realm of Korean wave.
Keywords: Korean Wave, K-Pop, Anti K-Pop, K-Pop and Islam, Nationalism, Indonesia,
Malaysia, South Korea
Introduction
“Is K-pop haram to Muslims?”; “Almost none of the clothing matches with Islam's dressing
code.”; “Can I listen to K-pop as a Muslim?”; ”Is being a K-pop idol haram for Muslims?: “Is it
haram for a Muslim to be addicted to K-pop?” and the list of questions and discussion keep on
adding with answers and debates keeps on circling around. These are a few examples of questions
posted online2 that could highlight the different sides of K-Pop’s seemingly unchallenged prowess
in the world.
1
Suray Agung Nugroho, a faculty staff at Korean Language and Culture Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences,
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. He received his PhD. in Korean Studies from Hankuk University of Foreign
Studies. His interests include Korean Wave and its Impacts; Migrant Workers and Migrant Students Issues.
E-mail: [email protected]
2
https://www.quora.com/Is-K-pop-haram-to-Muslims Quora is one of the few sites where anyone (from anywhere
in the world) could post their inquiries on any topic. In this case, I deliberately searched for any relation between
Islam and K-Pop to support my curiosities on the topic. As the results suggest, it indeed shows an interesting link
worth-researching.
Anti K-Pop is alive and soundly buzzing and this paper explores the anti-glimmering world
of K-Pop in Malaysia and in Indonesia—that some may yet not realize. This research came out of
my curiosity to what has been currently going on in or under the glittering realm of Hallyu ‘Korea
craze’, especially that of K-Pop. There have been many studies highlighting Korea’s success in
exporting and bombarding the world with its so-called Hallyu’s soft power. On the contrary, this
paper focuses on the opposite reality of how some groups of people do not/cannot welcome KPop. I did this research by delving into: first, the social media where Malaysians and Indonesians
gather to voice out their anti K-Pop rants and arguments; and second, online national media where
many Malaysians and Indonesians may get their dose of news from.
There are lingering questions as to why anti K-Pop movements emerged; whether K-Pop
has somewhat affected them and their surroundings negatively; whether their rant and hatred are
their own personal views and thus cannot represent the whole country; whether the dominating
Korean girl groups and boy groups are no match for Indonesian/Malaysian cultures and even
religion (Islam); and as to whether K-Pop has “invaded” Malaysian and Indonesia culture that they
need to voice out their sense of nationalism.
One particular research on anti Hallyu phenomenon that intrigued me to explore the same
topic in both countries is Park Soo-ok’s Anti Hallyu and Media Nationalism in Japan. I wondered
as to how I could picture out the similar phenomenon in Malaysia and Indonesia—whose major
population are Muslims. Without overlooking the existence of other religious beliefs, I deliberately
use the identity of being a Muslim—both individually and collectively—as the basis from which
I hypothetically state a starting point to comprehend where the anti K-Pop rants derived from in
both countries. For what it’s worth, even Hollywood with its prowess and charms is both loved
and hated by differing groups of people in both countries. Thus, with the ever increasing popularity
of Korean popular culture and lately with the influx of its by-products tapping into these countries’
markets, anti-K-Pop is a phenomenon worth-researching. Once again, considering the
continuously expanding terms of what constitutes Hallyu3 these days, this paper limits its scope to
portray the anti K-Pop phenomenon particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia.
3
Hallyu used to denote Korean movies, dramas, and K-pop, but it has expanded into the so-called K-Food, K-Fashion,
K-Beauty, and other K’s fields which have been emerging to grab the sizable portion of Korea craze around the globe.
K-Pop Haters in Malaysia and Indonesia
Before we ask if there are indeed any K-Pop haters in both countries, it is better to highlight
how K-Pop has become a sort of newly hailed cultural bridge. Malaysia and Indonesia are
embracing different kinds of creative industries from many parts of the world, including those of
Korea. Within the span of almost a decade from 2010 until early 2019, countless numbers of
Korean artists have been lining up to perform in the countries. In Indonesia’s case, SM Town Live
Concert back in 2012; the KBS Music Bank in 2013 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of
Indonesia-Korea diplomatic relation, Super Junior and iKon’s show at the Closing Ceremony of
2018 Asian Games in Jakarta are only a handful of examples how the K-Pop has turned into a
cultural bridge. Not to mention the sold-out tickets to Korean singers’ showcases, mini concerts,
solo concerts, fan meetings, and other K-Pop related events held in the country. Even fan clubs are
scattering throughout the region, imbued with the K-Pop related and K-Pop-themed programs on
national televisions and radios both on and off air.4 Additionally, it is worth to note that the everpopping up news on K-Pop artists’ daily lives and their concerts in the region has proven the high
demand for Korean popular culture.
With the seemingly welcoming attitudes of Indonesian and Malaysian fans in embracing
K-Pop, it seems to be unlikely that there are parts of the society hating it. The fact is, there are.
Who are they and where can they be spotted?
Simply put, considering the widely exposed concerts on printed and online media as well
as the seemingly unending circles of K-Pop artists visiting the countries, does Anti K-Pop really
exist? One may conclude that K-Pop has truly been accepted especially among the teenagers and
youngsters in the countries. On the contrary, even among those youngsters and larger communities,
there have emerged Anti-K-Pop movements that express concerns about K-Pop’s influences or
simply about their reluctance to embrace K-pop; most of which raise their rants through online
platforms.
To highlight these, I use two online platforms used in this research, first is the Facebook
pages and YouTube video of Anti K-Pop groups both in Malaysia and Indonesia. The second one
4
For further reference on how Hallyu affected Indonesia, please refer to a paper ‘Hallyu in Indonesia’ in The Global
Impact of South Korean Popular Culture: Hallyu Unbound.
is the online news portal sites voicing out the same concern. I began my curiosity on this Anti KPop since 2013, and updated versions of those pages and videos are added to keep up with the
recent situation about how this anti K-Pop has been evolving. Considering the vast arrays of factors
that may contribute to the existing anti K-Pop rants, I will only pick out unique factors that may
only occur in Malaysia and Indonesia when it comes to religion and nationalism sentiments.
Peeping into Anti K-Pop Rants on Facebook, YouTube, and Online Media Coverage
Facebook has been acknowledged as one of the widely used mediums to connect with other
people in the world although other social network platforms do exist. Facebook has been an
effective tool to share and spread one’s ideas on certain topic by incorporating all walks of people
with the same interest; even those uninterested could also chip in and peep into others’ account so
long as they are open for all. Thus, I simply initiate this research by typing the Indonesian phrases
such as “benci K-Pop” ‘hate K-Pop’ and “anti K-Pop” into the Facebook search bar. As I expected,
there emerged some groups dedicated to voice out their rants on K-Pop. For this research purpose,
I deliberately selected groups with over 100 members. Of course, comparing it with the number of
K-Pop lover group members, this is comparatively insignificant. To pin point how they express
their rants and concerns on K-Pop, I will begin exploring two Facebook pages from Malaysia and
then another from Indonesia. The rest, I will only mention the names of the groups for further
reference.
As previously stated, anti K-Pop Facebook groups from these countries were selected since
the members accentuated their strong arguments by using their religious beliefs, in this case Islam.
This could be one of the special characteristics occurring only in both countries and this trait may
differentiate them from Anti K-Pop groups from other countries. There are concerns that I may
twist the true teaching of Islamic beliefs by portraying these groups of people’s arguments.
However, this paper depicts what the members posted on their pages as they are without changing
anything. I will post what the members had to say about K-Pop and then attempt to elaborate their
rationales. First, this is an example of the postings found in one of the anti K-Pop groups in
Malaysia which I bumped into in 2013. Unfortunately, the site has been erased. However,
considering its significance, I decided to keep them posted here to portray how anti K-Pop relates
with religious belief.
"Tahukah Anda mendengar lagu nasyid5 lebih mulia dari mendengar lagu K-POP?"
"masih tak terlambat untuk peminat tegar K-POP untuk bertaubat "
‘Do you know that listening to nasyid songs is nobler than listening to K-Pop?’
‘It’s not too late for avid fans of K-POP to repent’
Excerpt from http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kami-benci-K-pop
Irrespective of the comments and responses to the posted statements, one certain thing is
that this is a unique characteristic found in such online groups in both countries. This clearly shows
how some people manage to associate K-Pop with religion or their belief. There is even a YouTube
video that vividly compares nasyid songs with those of K-Pop as well as others inspired by K-Pop.
The video clearly states that the singer’s attire and the song’s lyrics are what differentiate nasyid
and K-Pop. Even, they can determine as to whether a song is haram (forbidden) or halal (lawfully
permissible) to listen to. At the beginning of the video, the video maker includes a warning stating
that he does not criticize K-Pop only, but also other videos blatantly showing off aurat6—an act
that is clearly against their belief and norms.
Once again, this kind of video is like an icing on other numerous anti K-Pop movement on
the net. The controversies involving K-Pop in Malaysia occurred in January 2015 when three hijabwearing girls were captured on video being hugged by a Korean boy group. This sparked debates
on the national level and as expected, there emerged a Facebook group dedicated specially to the
incident: Kami Benci KPop Peluk Gadis Melayu ‘We hate K-Pop Hugs Malay Girls’. I will not
outline the comments and responses denouncing K-Pop, rather I took one comment that regretted
the girls’ decision to be caught in the ‘act’ in the first place:
5
Nasyid or nasheed is an Arabic word for ‘chants’. It usually is an acapella with no musical instruments or with limited
percussion instruments in use. Although later development sees some changes in nasyid, in general, many Muslim
scholars argue that Islam prohibits the use of musical instruments. The content of the lyrics usually is about Islamic
teachings or anything related to Islam. For the video in question, please refer to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDEePNPIZ2c
6
Aurat or awrah is an Arabic word that closely connotes to ‘nakedness’ in an English word. There are a lot of
meanings depending on how it is used. However, in reference to this paper, apart from ‘nakedness’, this word
connotes to certain parts of human body that should be covered by clothing according to the Islamic teachings. It is
believed that showing off parts of one’s body is sinful in Islam. Although there are various arguments and debates,
general belief is that for women, except for their face and hands, all parts of their bodies are considered ‘aurat’ and
must be covered and not to be shown off.
“k-pop xsalah tp perempuan gedik tu yang salah..sebb da tahun islam tp xfaham batas pergaulan n x fikir
1 dunia akan tgk perbuatan dy yang mewakil islam...moga allah ampunkn dosa mrka yang melemparkan
kata2 sesat..mgkin lps nie mereka akn b,taubat..amin”
“It’s not K-Pop’s fault, but the girls’...since they knew about Islam, but still did not understand the rules of
mingling with others...they did not think that the world would see what they did as representing Islam. May
Allah forgive the sins of those who condemn them. Maybe after this incident, they will repent. Amen.”
The second example comes from one of Indonesia’s Anti K-Pop groups named Anti
Korean Boy and Girl Band. Similar to the one from Malaysia, it also brings out religious issue in
voicing out their statement.
"Ke mana mana kaki ini melangkah dan mata ini memandang selalu ada hal yang berbau K-pop. K-pop
sekarang sudah menjadi gaya hidup. Kapan nih pergi ke masjid dan baca buku di perpustakaan jadi gaya
hidup kalian?"
‘Wherever my feet go and my eyes see, there are always K-Pop scented stuffs. K-Pop has become a lifestyle.
When will going to the Mosque and reading books become your lifestyle?’
Excerpt from: www.facebook.com/ANTIKoreanBoyDanGirlBand
This posting is directed to the fans of K-Pop visiting the group Facebook page. Yet, this is
considered to be a decent statement as compared to the harsh yet intriguingly unique ones such as
the following:
"Sekarang di dunia ini ada 3 jenis kelamin. pertama laki-laki, kedua perempuan, dan ketiga boyband."
‘In this world there are now 3 kinds of sex. First male, second female, and third boyband.’
These are just a few examples of how these groups express their hatred to K-Pop. As it
turns out, I have not yet found any comments or responses that come from Koreans. Thus, this
kind of group has become a battleground between K-Pop haters and lovers (fans) in respective
countries. Replies and comments as posted indicate the unavoidable war of nerves that seem to be
pointless for outsiders who do not take sides. However, the uses of religious beliefs to back up
one’s statements, responses, and comments are of significance to understand how K-Pop has
ignited debates even between Muslims who pose different ground in looking at the K-Pop
phenomenon.
Interestingly, these anti K-Pop supporters put their efforts in learning beforehand about the
world of K-Pop. They know the names of Korean singers, boy groups, and girl groups including
their characteristics and up-dated activities. They equip themselves with ample knowledge of K-
Pop to attack the K-Pop they detest. Other worth-mentioning findings are the common words and
phrases used to describe the boy and girl groups. For boy groups, common words are banci
‘effeminate’, bencong ‘sissy’, homo, and feminin ‘feminine’. As for the girl groups, the common
words that come up are “striptis ‘striptease’, birahi ‘lust’, and menor ‘garish’. As it turns out, these
words are not only directed at Korean boy and girl group only, but also at Indonesian girl and boy
group that sprung up entailing the success of K-Pop penetration in the country.
There are also numerous anti K-Pop group names from which we can identify their
sentiment, such as Belia Benci K-Pop (youngsters hate K-Pop), Kami Benci K-Pop (we hate KPop), Kami Benci K-Pop Peluk Gadis Melayu (we hate K-Pop Hugs Malay Girls), Geng Benci KPop (gang-who-hates K-Pop), Kami Benci K-Pop Selamanya (we hate K-pop forever), and many
others. What these anti K-Pop groups want to convey is that to a certain extent, they loathe K-Pop
since they consider it as confronting their religious beliefs and culture. Most of them simply hate
Korean boy and girl groups’ tendency to show off their bodies in music videos and during the
concerts. Although some supporters clearly state that they criticize not only K-Pop but also the
Western ones; still, their main object is clearly K-Pop which do not in sync with Islamic teachings.
This kind of K-Pop-no-match-for-Islam attitude has also been amplified with the reportage
or media coverage. Back in 2014, CL (2NE1) became a controversial debate among Muslims in
Indonesia when the lyrics in her song ‘Mental Breakdown’ was suspected of using Quranic verses.7
Pros and cons as to whether the lyrics were indeed Quranic verses or simply Arabic words were
heating up. But, that is not the point. As this issue seemed to be subsided and long forgotten, the
same issue began emerging again in the media coverage. Interestingly, it occurred in 2017.8 Apart
from the fact that this is simply a reporting of what happened, media has also played a determining
factor in amplifying otherwise lesser-known issues (or clashes) between K-Pop and Islam.
Through media, those unaware of K-Pop songs became agitated and pumped up to voice out their
concerns.
7
https://www.liputan6.com/showbiz/read/2020203/masukkan-kata-dalam-al-quran-di-lagu-cl-2ne1-dikritik the
first time this debate was picked up by one of the leading media in Indonesia back in 2014.
8
https://www.liputan6.com/showbiz/read/3034208/4-karya-k-pop-ini-dianggap-menghina-agama three years
afterwards, the same issue resurfaced in the same media.
In the midst of this stirring trend, prominent religious preachers also share their views on
K-Pop. In February 2019, a widely circulated national English newspaper [The Jakarta Post]9
reported that Fuadh Naim—a famous Indonesian Islamic preacher—told his followers to stay away
from South Korean popular culture. The news reported that the dai ‘preacher’ claimed that Korean
drama and music (K-Pop) exposed people to LGBT lifestyles and free sex. He even urged Muslims
fans of K-Pop to repent since he suggested that Korean wave draws Muslims into the fire of hell.
The fact that even a Muslim preacher with thousands of followers deliberately shared his entiments
on K-Pop is not something new in itself. In fact, a more famous Islamic preacher, ustadz Abdul
Somad, back in 2017 had already shared his opinion on how to manage one’s infatuation towards
Korean cultures including that of K-Pop. His preaching has been circulated and viewed thousands
of times. In fact, these two Islamic preachers are a few among other Indonesian preachers who
also voiced their concerns about the growing trends of youngsters, especially Muslim youngsters,
who idolize their Korean boy/girl group artists.
It is, then, not that surprising to find YouTube contents made by Islamic groups or
individuals targeting the K-Pop fans. The titles of the videos such as “Islamic laws concerning
idolizing Korean artists”; “K-Pop and Muslim Youngsters”; and “K-Pop as Dajjal’s”, for example,
clearly indicate the clash between K-Pop as an entertainment industry and Islam as a moral
guidance adhered by the content creators. The deliberate use of a specific term such as ‘Dajjal’,
for instance, clearly shows that it could only happen in an Islamic-context since ‘Dajjal’ is
believed to be a false Messiah or an evil figure in Islamic eschatology10—comparable to that of
the Antichrist in Christian eschatology. At this point, it is interesting to understand that before KPop or Korean popular culture became the target of this sentiment, Hollywood movies have been
associated with his Dajjal or being anti-Islam. Thus, K-Pop is the latest target of attack by those
who regard foreign culture as incompatible with Islamic norms or beliefs. At the center of this,
media social, in particular, YouTube has become the platform they use to spread this anti K-Pop
agenda to directly engage and entice both K-Pop fans and non-fans alike. The never-ending debates
9
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/02/27k-pop-promotes-lgbt-lifesyles-free-sex-famous-preachertells-muslim-fans.html The
10
A part of Theology dealing with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind—which
mostly referred to “the end of the world”.
and hatred comments on social media platform have become so common that K-Pop can now be
dubbed as being—albeit unequally—loved and loathed in Indonesia.
Anti K-Pop and the issue of Nationalism
To explore this, I delved into the online media news reporting the anti K-Pop-related
contents in both countries. Anti K-Pop as portrayed in Online Entertainment and News Media
News reporting Korea’s success in creating a popular culture, analysts’ suggestion on the need to
follow Korea steps in its creative industries, and other similar news have been circling for the past
decade. However, concerns over the encroaching influence of K-Pop have also been popping up.
At the center of these, national media pay a significant role in spreading the other side of the coin
of K-Pop world. Their role is to augment the concerns and critics voiced by the prominent leaders
and social groups in both countries. In other words, they simply reports what happen in the society.
However, different from Anti K-Pop movement as seen in Facebook or YouTube that may only
draw the attention from avid Facebook users or the defenders of K-Pop; the news as reported in
national media indeed draws a nation-wide attention even from those who may never realize such
a phenomenon existed in the first place. Moreover, the fact that national media pick up the news
could also mean the media’s significant role in questioning the mere existence of K-Pop issues in
both countries.
Fans of K-Pop in Malaysia and Indonesia have also been unavoidably engulfed by the
Hallyu effects. In term of age, K-Pop lovers are mostly those under 20’s, especially teenagers with
extraordinary love for their favorite stars. They are those who would do anything to make their
dream of seeing their idols live. The dream of experiencing their idols’ concerts either in their own
country or in Korea is their desire after becoming avid lovers. It is their emotional attachment that
raises up “concerns” in both countries.
In this section, I will highlight news from Malaysian online media and combining it with
those from Indonesia. It is interesting to point out that the news on K-Pop in Malaysia is closely
related to the issue of religion, while the ones in Indonesia are closely related to the issues of
religion and nationalism. The followings are the concerns as reported in the news outlet.
In January 2015, media in Malaysia was buzzed with the reports of a hijab-wearing
Malaysian Muslim girls being hugged by B1A4 boy group member and this act was caught on the
viral video. Pros and cons had sprung up in the country since they were accused of shaming Islam
and the Malays. Even the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department released warrants for the
girls, an act that only ignited the already heating debates in the country. K-Pop fans and Anti KPop supporters flocked to online media to response. Some accused the authorities of implementing
double standards, others concerned about the future effects it may have on Malaysia’s image, and
those who slammed the girls for letting the incident to occur considering their identity of Muslims.
Many media also reported the controversial comment made by a prominent figure, Mr. Khairy
Jamaludin—the then Youth and Sports Minister—who said that Malay girls should look for tall,
dark, and handsome men instead of pale, skinny, and pretty men. Again, this fueled the already
talked-about hot issue related to K-Pop in Malaysia. Foreign news correspondents such as BBC,
UK’s Dailymail, Korea Times US edition, and Jakarta Post to name a few, quickly picked up the
news and spread the incident to other parts of the world. What started as a local incident had then
become a trending topic and worth-knowing news, especially after ISMA (Ikatan Muslimin
Malaysia –Malaysia’s Muslim Association) claimed K-Pop as a Christian conspiracy, declaring
that the “K” stands for “Kristian” and that Korea was a Christian-majority country.11
There is another report on July 27, 2015 in the Malaymailonline.com stating that before
the Big Bang concert in the country, ISMA again claimed that the K-Pop concerts are camouflage
to spread Christianity. The news also mentioned how the group’s chairman claimed K-Pop
concerts brought joy but were actually “anti-Islam” and that they would destroy the Muslim
community in the country. In spite of the fact that the news did not clearly mention any evidence
of the group’s rants, this news was clearly spread online and thus viable by everyone. This is what
makes it interesting. Those who were previously unaware of any BigBang concerts or any K-Pop
concerts came to realize the event and those who may never heard of any group called ISMA may
pay attention to its existence. Similar news also appeared on several other online media in Malaysia
such as Freemalaysiatoday.com; in Indonesia such as Bintang.com, and in Singapore such as
Newlite.sg.12
11
More on this can be referred to in http://www.ismaweb.net/2015/01/agenda-kristian-di-sebalik-k-pop/
For further reference, please go to http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/07/27/k-pop-atool-forevangelists-says-isma /; http://www.bintang.com/celeb/read/2283555/duh-bigbang-dituding-anti-islam
and http://www.newslite.sg/content/malaysias-islamist-group-claims-k-pop-concerts-are-anti-islam
12
At this point, what initially occurred in Malaysia as local news in Malaysia has become
regional news in other countries in ASEAN. One may argue that this is a natural flow of how
media works in the borderless age. But, this national news in Malaysia would not have been picked
up by other media in the region had it not involved KPop, in this case, Big Bang—one of the
famous boy groups.
Those were only a small fraction of issues pertaining to K-Pop in Malaysia which shows
how religion in this case Islam, the major religion, has been struggling to come to terms with the
influx of K-Pop influence in Malaysia. As for in Indonesia, although religion-related debates over
K-Pop do occur, what constitutes the major issue is how K-Pop ignites the debates of nationalism.
An excerpt from Kapanlagi.com—one of Indonesia’s leading entertainment portal sites, mentions:
"Mencintai musik dari negeri lain bukanlah hal yang dilarang, namun kita harus membela kemajuan musik
Indonesia. Majulah musik Indonesia."
‘Loving other country’s music is not prohibited, but we must defend the development of Indonesian
music.....Long live Indonesia Music.’
It may be a simple statement, but one can argue that this is none other than what media
nationalism is. Another example can be seen from Kompas Online—another widely- read news
portal site—on October 21st, 2012. The article reported about the statement made by Mr. Wamen
Parekfaf—the then Indonesia’s Vice Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy. He pointed out
his wish that Indonesia’s ethnic songs could compete with those of K-Pop since Indonesia has
hundreds of local cultures that he believed as being able to compete with them.
"Lagu-lagu daerah yang merupakah salah satu warisan luhur bangsa cenderung tergilas popularitasnya oleh
budaya asing termasuk Korean Pop."
‘Regional ethnic songs are our national heritage and their popularity is now crushed by foreign cultures,
including Korean Pop.’
At this point, there is no need to elaborate the situation of Indonesia’s local and music
industry, but one thing is certain. The fact that even a ministry commented on K-Pop and
mentioned about how K-Pop has crushed the local culture is something worth-considering.
Another minister, Mr. Dahlan Iskan—the then minister in charge of state-owned enterprises—was
also reported in the same news outlet on December 21st, 2012. He was non-hesitantly “GangnamStyle-ing” when he visited a university in Sulawesi. Media picked up the moment and reported
that many students voiced out their concern about the minister’s action since he was deemed as
promoting Korea although some defended him as simply promoting the need to do physical
exercise. The news cited that the minister should have shown Indonesian dance move like PocoPoco.13
"Kalau 'Gangnam Style' saja bisa sukses dipromosikan beliau, saya yakin kalau Poco-Poco atau tarian
energik lainnya dipromosikan beliau tentu akan lebih sukses lagi, apalagi Pak Dahlan sangat cinta
Indonesia.”
‘If he could promote ‘Gangnam Style’, I am sure he might as well successfully promote Poco-Poco or other
energetic dances; afterall Mr. Dahlan really loves Indonesia.’
What happened in Indonesia is clearly different from what happened in Japan in 2011 when
anti-Hallyu made national headlines. Park Soo-ok voiced his concern over antiHallyu movement
in Japan since the prominent supporters of such movement were younger generation. In other
words, he expressed his concern over the future of bilateral ties between Korea and Japan, should
a seemingly trivial movement not become one of the important agendas of both governments. In
Indonesia’s and Malaysia’s cases, the mere existence of ongoing K-Pop concerts could be a
superficial atmosphere of how K-Pop is warmly embraced.
It is interesting to see how other prominent figures reacted to the mere existence of anti KPop movement. On Kompas Online dated November 23rd, 2012, Idang Rasyidi—a famous
Indonesian musician—commented:
"Jangan berlebihan menanggapi fenomena euforia artis-artis dan musik "Negeri Gingseng" tersebut.
Nikmati saja, tidak perlu ketakutan atau antipati, musik itu bukan untuk dipikirkan, tetapi dinikmati”.
‘Don’t over react to the phenomenal euphoria of artists and music from “Land of Ginseng”. Just enjoy it,
no need to be afraid and show any antipathy. Don’t think too much about it, just enjoy it.’
The kind of news that highlighted the prominent figures’ attitude indeed had attracted wider
readers and more and more people became aware of K-Pop’s influence. To a certain extent, the
media deliberately chose the event to be the news worth-reporting. It all occurred in 2012 and it
seems that nothing has changed to the way K-Pop is treated in Indonesia. KPop is still flourishing
13
Poco-Poco is a line dance popularized by Indonesian military troops back in the 1990s although some mentioned
it had been popular long before that. It originated from Ambon, the Molluccas. It is now a popular dance move in
many formal and informal events accompanied with the original song from the Mollucas. Albeit its simplicity in
movements, some argue that poco-poco is a way to signify a sense of uniformity and harmony through dance moves.
in the country. Another Indonesian singer, famous for being one of the prominent dangdut 14
singers in Indonesia, Annisa Bahar15, spoke out her concerns about the eroding nationalism in
Indonesia. Considering the importance of her remarks as a dangdut singer on the increasing
influence of foreign culture; hence, I will post her responses as they are. First, it is about how she
reacts to the current issue of nationalism.
“Nasionalisme udah agak pudar dengan adanya budaya asing. Terutama Korea. Orang sepertinya lebih
bangga dengan K-Pop. Kalau dari segi budaya, aku pengennya kita lebih mengenalkan tradisi budaya asli
Indonesia seperti Jaipong atau tari Jawa, Aceh, Padang, Betawi dan tari daerah lain yang harusnya jadi
kebanggaan bangsa.”
‘Nationalism is somewhat eroding with the influx of foreign culture. Especially, Korea. People seem to be
more proud of K-Pop. Talking about culture, I’d hope that we know more about Indonesian traditions such
as Jaipong dance or dances from Java, Aceh, Padang, and Betawi as well as other regions that should have
been our national pride.
Her remarks may represent a lot of people’s concerns about the fact that some younger
generations are more inclined to prefer foreign cultures. Second, when she was asked about who
should be blamed for the issue, she mentioned that the government must take responsibilities:
“Pemerintah. Karena memang nggak bisa disalahkan budaya luar lebih berani keluar uang untuk
mengenalkan budayanya ke bangsa lain. Jadi kesannya tuh, bangsa luar bisa diterima dan bisa cari uang di
negara kita enak. Artis dari luar di negara kita jadi artis hebat. Tapi, kalau artis kita ke negara mereka kan
nggak sama kayak mereka yang ke sini.”
‘The government (is to blame). Foreign culture dares to support financially to introduce their culture to
other countries. That’s why we see foreign culture seems to be accepted and easily gain money in our
country. Singers from other countries can be great singers in our country. But, when we want to go to their
country, it’ll be a different story.”
Although it may reflect her personal accounts of understanding the phenomenon, there are;
of course, Indonesian artists performing in other countries, especially in Malaysia, Korea, and
countries where a lot of Indonesian migrants reside. At this point, most of the fans are Indonesians.
Thus, Bahar’s concerns may relate to the lack of easy access for Indonesian singers to stand out
14
Dangdut is a popular folk music genre in Indonesia and derived its influences from Arabian and Indian music using
flute, mandolin, guitars, and especially gendang with its sound /dang, dang, dut/ from where it got its name. The
modern type of dangdut incorporates R&B, reggae, and other type of musical genres to suit the demand of modern
listeners.
15
Annisa Bahar was interviewed by an online news portal Suara.com to commemorate the 70th anniversary of
Indonesia’s Independence http://www.suara.com/entertainment/2015/08/29/080300/dangdut-kalah-pamorannisa-bahar-salahkanpemerintah
and hold concerts in other countries just the same as what foreign singers do in Indonesia. Although,
again, her remarks can be easily confronted as dangdut may not suit everyone’s cup of tea.
Irrespective of her concerns, Bahar stands her grounds as a dangdut singer and that she is
proud of keeping her roots:
“Pastinya saya mau menyampaikan kalau dangdut itu salah satu musik yang bisa dibanggakan. Dangdut is
the music of my country. Jangan deh malu jadi penyanyi dangdut. Betapa dulu aku dihina-hina jadi
pedangdut tapi aku bertahan. Karena kau pikir ini budaya yang perlu dilestarikan. Cintailah budaya
Indonesia. Kalau bukan kita, siapa lagi yang akan peduli dengan produk dalam negeri khususnya musik.”
‘Definitely I want to convey that dangdut is one of the music we can take pride of. Dangdut is the music of
my country. Don’t be ashamed of becoming a dangdut singer. I used to be humiliated for being a dangdut
singer, but I held on tight. I think this is our culture that we must preserve. Love Indonesian culture. If not
us, who else would care about our national product, especially music.”
One may argue that the so-called ‘nationalism’ as shown by national media may not have
any effects whatsoever to Korea’s billion-dollar entertainment industry. It is short-lived, gaining
attention at the time of reporting, but it never becomes a national issue worth-concerning about.
People thought that this kind of spat would ever come again. But, of course, that is not the case.
The noticeable example can be seen at the end of 2018 when a commercial using Blackpink
became the talk of the nation. It occurred when an online petition to pull off the commercial took
Indonesia by storm. Blackpink members with their fashion were deemed vulgar and dangerous to
Indonesian youngster’s moral. Again, Islam is used to judge the member’s appearance as
incompatible with that of Islam since they do not cover their aurat. Actually, the online petition
did not yet garner much attention until the media coverage blew this up. What used to be a localized
concern had become and stirred a national debate and eventually ignited backlash from K-Pop fans.
Irrespective of what happened, this clearly show that K-Pop has been on and off the radar of
Indonesia’s overzealousness in censorship under KPI (Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia-Indonesia
Broadcasting Commission). What happened to Blackpink easily became the latest example of how
Indonesia as a nation has become a dueling venue to test the loyalties of (militant) K-Pop fans.
Intriguingly, the backlash towards a petition to ban the commercial also came from Muslim
fans of K-Pop. They urged more tolerance and respect for other cultures. Even they expressed their
disappointment on Islam being used as a guidance to fend off K-Pop enthusiasts. This is what is
currently occurring in Indonesia—being the market of K-Pop—where some conservative members
of the society have to speak up against Indonesian youngsters who embrace K-Pop as merely an
entertainment from other country. From this incident, it would be a challengingly intriguing to
keep an eye on the interplay of both Indonesia’s nationalistic and religious spirit in facing the
seemingly unfading prowess of K-Pop.
What I like to point out is that Indonesian and Malaysian picked up the K-Pop-related
issues quickly thanks to the media. Such issues have indeed grabbed the attention of media to be
widely spread among the people of both countries. At the core of these, the existence of resistance,
as shown in Anti K-Pop sentiments, has been accentuated more than ever before. Those who used
to be unaware of and disinterested about Anti K-Pop are now seeing the other side of K-Pop in
their own countries.
Closing Remarks
I do not make any conclusion of this on-going and evolving Anti-K-Pop phenomenon,
especially in terms of a seemingly thorny relation between K-Pop and Islam. Moreover, there are
also immense data on how blogs, YouTube, and notably the online news portal sites treat K-Pop
in both countries that I did not touch for the paper. Hence, further research is necessary to explore
more about the phenomenon in the region and probably in other countries. In this part, instead, I
want to highlight Cho Young-han’s take on Korean culture’s popularity in Asia. He mentioned
about the term “translocal regionalism” that emphasizes the reciprocal Asian cultural flows and
the establishment of the so-called pan-Asian cultural infrastructure. What can be incurred from
this approach is that in the midst of Korean popular culture’s encroaching popularity in Asia and
the rest of the world, Korea should also open itself (more) in receiving other Asian countries’
culture. It does not mean that Korea is not on the process of welcoming other cultures, but Korea
has to increase its understanding of its neighbors. I imagine K-pop along with J-Pop, I-Pop
(Indonesian pop), M-Pop (Malaysian pop), S-Pop (Singaporean Pop), VPop (Vietnam Pop), ThPop (Thailand pop), C-Pop (Chinese Pop), and other pops are mutually welcome in this borderless
era. Some may argue that it looks tasteless, but it could be one of the few steps to go against and
beyond the movement of anti-foreign cultures. Anti K-Pop movement may never be extinguished
as it is an unavoidable manifestation of the borderless era. At this point, Korean people and its
government should not overdo the existing K-Pop’s success and influence in the world. Likewise,
Indonesian, Malaysians, and other countries’ citizens should regard K-Pop like any other foreign
cultures influencing their lives in the 21st century. After all, lack of tolerance may turn into
religious fanaticism, while excessive nationalism could lead to chauvinism. The postings or media
coverage on anti K-Pop may not have any direct effects to the K-Pop industry, or just yet. However,
should this go unheard of, a ticking bomb may be in store for bilateral ties between Korea and
other countries.
References
Cho, Young-han (2011). 'Desperately Seeking East Asia amidst the Popularity of South Korean
Pop Culture in Asia'. Cultural Studies, 25: 3, 383 — 404, 21 March 2011 (iFirst)
Nugroho, Suray Agung (2014). ‘Hallyu in Indonesia’. In The Global Impact of South Korean
Popular Culture: Hallyu Unbound, Valentina Marinescu (ed.), 19-32. Lexington Books.
Park Soo-ok (2009).’Anti Hallyu and Media Nationalism in Japan’ <일본의 혐한류와
미디어내셔널리즘: 2Ch 와 일본 4 대 일간지를중심 으로>',
Dissertation. Kookmin
University. Graduate School of International Studies.
Sites:
http://musik.kapanlagi.com/resensi/chill-out/pecinta-K-pop-anti-musik-indonesia.html
http://oase.kompas.com/read/2012/10/31/00190550/Kemenparekraf.Lagu.Pop.Daerah.Bisa.Saingi.K-pop
http://oase.kompas.com/read/2012/12/21/19561023/Dahlan.Iskan.Pimpin.Gangnam.Style
http://oase.kompas.com/read/2012/11/23/03020389/Idang.Rasjidi.Euforia.Kpop.adalah.Tamparan
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/after-bigbang-show-islamist-group-claims-daphand-inglove-with-k-pop-stars
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/07/27/k-pop-a-tool-for-evangelists-says-isma/;
http://www.bintang.com/celeb/read/2283555/duh-bigbang-dituding-anti-islam and
http://www.newslite.sg/content/malaysias-islamist-group-claims-k-pop-concerts-are-anti-islam
http://www.ismaweb.net/2015/08/adakah-k-pop-agenda-kristianisasi/
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malay-k-pop-fans-defend-band-sayauthoritiesoverreacting-to-hugging-incide