Fans hold BTS’s official light stick, the ARMY Bomb, as they cheer during J-Hope’s finale performance at the 2022 Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago on July 31, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — As the K-pop industry expands with a surge of new idol groups, clashes over fan culture symbols — from light stick designs to fandom names and official colors — are intensifying, exposing a deeper tension over ownership, originality, and identity in an increasingly globalized genre.
While an unwritten rule in the industry discourages overlapping designs or names, limited creative space is leading to repeated disputes over what fans call the “symbols of belonging.” The issue has become more pronounced amid renewed global attention to K-pop through the Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters.
The latest controversy erupted over light sticks, the signature tools fans wave at concerts. In September, the girl group QWER revealed a megaphone-shaped light stick, drawing outrage from fans of boy group The Boyz, who have used a similar design since 2021.
The Boyz’s fan base held seven rounds of truck protests outside QWER’s agency, accusing the new group of “copying their identity.”
Truck protest organized by fans of The Boyz (Image source: social media capture).
Supporters of The Boyz argued that the megaphone silhouette was unique in K-pop until their debut, while others countered that the shape itself — inspired by a past album concept — could not be claimed as exclusive intellectual property.
QWER’s agency maintains that its design poses “no copyright or design infringement,” while The Boyz’s management has warned of possible legal action.
Light sticks, once mere glow sticks and balloons, have evolved into symbols of fan unity, customized with distinct colors, shapes, and synchronized lighting systems.
Their cultural resonance deepened last winter when young protesters held up K-pop light sticks — instead of candles — during demonstrations calling for former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, turning the objects into global emblems of nonviolence and solidarity.
Light sticks of boy group The Boyz (left) and girl group QWER (Image sources: KREAM, WITHMUU captures).
As K-Pop Expands, Battles Over Symbols of Identity Intensify
The dispute is not new. In 2023, rookie group Riize replaced its initial light stick design after fans claimed it resembled that of veteran act Epik High. Similar accusations have surfaced in Thailand and other markets, as K-pop’s aesthetics gain international reach.
Earlier generations of fandoms feuded over official “symbol colors.” Sechs Kies claimed yellow, H.O.T. white, and g.o.d sky blue in the early 2000s — prompting friction when younger groups like iKON or BTOB adopted similar hues.
Even fandom names have sparked conflict: rookie group ILLIT renamed its fan club twice after objections that its first two choices mirrored names associated with NMIXX’s Lily and BLACKPINK’s Lisa.
The Korea Entertainment Producers Association (KEPA) recently issued a rare statement urging the industry to establish “clear, standardized guidelines” for intellectual property and fan culture.
It warned that disputes like the one between The Boyz and QWER highlight broader questions about “K-pop’s creative integrity, communal identity, and global competitiveness.”
“K-pop’s cultural strength lies in the coexistence of creativity and respect for originality,” KEPA said. “Agencies, artists, and fandoms alike must act responsibly to preserve both identity and innovation.”
Cultural critic Kim Heon-sik noted that such disputes reflect fans’ desire to protect their emotional identification with idols. “For many young people, an idol’s symbols form part of their own identity,” he said. “Even if colors or designs haven’t traditionally been protected as intellectual property, their commercial and emotional value now demands legal standards to guide future cases.”
Kim added that the industry must adapt by fostering continual reinvention rather than clinging to fixed aesthetics. “K-pop thrives on creativity,” he said. “To sustain that, it must stay flexible — constantly evolving its symbols rather than fighting over who owned them first.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
