Fans that have never once spoken about Palestine, about Sudan, or about the DR Congo have suddenly become outspoken activists when it involves an artist with a net worth of $3-5M.
Why do you post about Kpop, which is one of the most highly commercialized and incredibly capitalist industry on “Voice of the Proletariat”? Pretty ironic that you call yourself a Marxist while promoting one of the most apparent consumer culture built through labor exploitation.
First of all, it is quite clear that you have failed to read this article in full. This piece criticizes a specific tendency within a certain K-Pop fandom that emerged following a particular event, and it is not an endorsement of the industry itself.
On many other occasions, I have openly criticized K-Pop fans for problematic views, including uncritical praise of Japan and failure to uphold the one-China principle.
Furthermore, by your logic, why comment on anything at all? Being a Marxist does not mean ignoring reality. K-Pop is immensely popular in Korea and China—my homelands—as well as globally, including in the USA and Canada, where a large portion of my audience resides.
Discussing topics like K-Pop also serves as an entry point for those with such interests to discover this publication and Marxism-Leninism more broadly. So, what reason would I have not to engage with wider audiences?
First of all, I wasn’t only commenting specifically on this post but your constant posts about Kpop, including an article about TXT’s new album. I don’t know what really endorsements are, if promoting and writing a whole article about an artist’s new album isn’t.
Secondly, why on earth would Kpop fans and industry uphold the “one China principle” when the cultural product literally stems from the sovereign nation of South Korea? And even tracing its cultural roots and musical influences, it ultimately derives from Black musical culture. So why do, or do they even have rights to support a decision dictated by Beijing?
And lastly, you said you’re using Kpop to connect with broader audiences for your publication. So you’re using a extremely capitalistic cultural product arising from a nation with an ideology strongly contradicting Marxism and Leninism. I’m just saying, that’s pretty ironic from “Voices of the Proletariat”.
Let us not distort the facts here. Of 75 currently published articles on this platform, only seven relate to K-Pop. This one, as well as the article on the cancelled 2026 Show! MUSIC CORE in Macau (Macao) SAR, China, discusses geopolitics to varying degrees. In this case, I discuss asymmetrical fan responses to real humanitarian crises, while in the case of the Show! MUSIC CORE article, I briefly note Japan/China visa issues and a possible cause.
I will add that, as noted on my About page and my article "New Name, Same Content" from January, this publication was originally named "A Little Bit of Everything," as it was (and remains) a platform for me to discuss a wide array of topics, not merely limited to Marxism-Leninism. If a reader strictly wants to read Marxist theory and nothing else, there are many other channels for that, but this is how I run my own outlet.
I should point out that there is historical precedent for cultural criticism within Marxism, not only in Western Marxism but also in the advancement of the arts and culture by revolutionaries from the past and present. Off the top of my head, Stalin read both fiction and nonfiction, as does Chairman Xi. Similarly, discussions of cultural works from a Marxist perspective are not new.
As for your second point, the ROK, along with nearly every country in the world, recognizes the one-China principle, including the historically and legally rooted fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. I previously criticized (on other platforms) fan responses to the "Tzuyu incident," many of which blatantly ignored the one-China principle. K-Pop, like essentially every other field, is inherently tied to and interacts with politics.
I have also pointed out the cultural roots of K-Pop styles in the past, so I'm not certain why you've noted it here... The only African nation to recognize the Taiwan authorities is Eswatini, while every other solely recognizes the People's Republic of China. China has historically supported (and continues to support) pan-Afrikan movements and African development, and many very close bonds have been formed, so again, I'm not sure what your point is.
To add on, in regard to your final point, I myself am ethnically Korean, and I'm well aware of the anti-Communist nature of the US-occupied ROK. I have discussed this in my FAQ. And frankly, I personally don't find it contradictory for me, as a Korean, to utilize pre-built infrastructure (fandoms, in this case) to disseminate Marxist-Leninist thought.
I feel I should note that I do follow some groups, mostly from smaller labels (FNC, WAKEONE, etc.). I find Western pop largely soulless, but I do see some remnants of traditional Korean national culture within K-pop. Obviously, the industry also heavily takes from Black music, and larger groups are almost always extremely Westernized.
Plus, one of my majors is popular music studies (alongside political science), so it's not like I can really escape popular music/culture in general 😅 I do think it's very important to study/critique the industry rather than completely ignoring its existence as well as engage with fanbases to disseminate correct thought (e.g., correcting the narrative on the so-called "Tzuyu incident," calling members "Taiwanese," suggesting that China should "get over its Japan hate," etc.).
Why do you post about Kpop, which is one of the most highly commercialized and incredibly capitalist industry on “Voice of the Proletariat”? Pretty ironic that you call yourself a Marxist while promoting one of the most apparent consumer culture built through labor exploitation.
First of all, it is quite clear that you have failed to read this article in full. This piece criticizes a specific tendency within a certain K-Pop fandom that emerged following a particular event, and it is not an endorsement of the industry itself.
On many other occasions, I have openly criticized K-Pop fans for problematic views, including uncritical praise of Japan and failure to uphold the one-China principle.
Furthermore, by your logic, why comment on anything at all? Being a Marxist does not mean ignoring reality. K-Pop is immensely popular in Korea and China—my homelands—as well as globally, including in the USA and Canada, where a large portion of my audience resides.
Discussing topics like K-Pop also serves as an entry point for those with such interests to discover this publication and Marxism-Leninism more broadly. So, what reason would I have not to engage with wider audiences?
First of all, I wasn’t only commenting specifically on this post but your constant posts about Kpop, including an article about TXT’s new album. I don’t know what really endorsements are, if promoting and writing a whole article about an artist’s new album isn’t.
Secondly, why on earth would Kpop fans and industry uphold the “one China principle” when the cultural product literally stems from the sovereign nation of South Korea? And even tracing its cultural roots and musical influences, it ultimately derives from Black musical culture. So why do, or do they even have rights to support a decision dictated by Beijing?
And lastly, you said you’re using Kpop to connect with broader audiences for your publication. So you’re using a extremely capitalistic cultural product arising from a nation with an ideology strongly contradicting Marxism and Leninism. I’m just saying, that’s pretty ironic from “Voices of the Proletariat”.
Let us not distort the facts here. Of 75 currently published articles on this platform, only seven relate to K-Pop. This one, as well as the article on the cancelled 2026 Show! MUSIC CORE in Macau (Macao) SAR, China, discusses geopolitics to varying degrees. In this case, I discuss asymmetrical fan responses to real humanitarian crises, while in the case of the Show! MUSIC CORE article, I briefly note Japan/China visa issues and a possible cause.
I will add that, as noted on my About page and my article "New Name, Same Content" from January, this publication was originally named "A Little Bit of Everything," as it was (and remains) a platform for me to discuss a wide array of topics, not merely limited to Marxism-Leninism. If a reader strictly wants to read Marxist theory and nothing else, there are many other channels for that, but this is how I run my own outlet.
I should point out that there is historical precedent for cultural criticism within Marxism, not only in Western Marxism but also in the advancement of the arts and culture by revolutionaries from the past and present. Off the top of my head, Stalin read both fiction and nonfiction, as does Chairman Xi. Similarly, discussions of cultural works from a Marxist perspective are not new.
As for your second point, the ROK, along with nearly every country in the world, recognizes the one-China principle, including the historically and legally rooted fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. I previously criticized (on other platforms) fan responses to the "Tzuyu incident," many of which blatantly ignored the one-China principle. K-Pop, like essentially every other field, is inherently tied to and interacts with politics.
I have also pointed out the cultural roots of K-Pop styles in the past, so I'm not certain why you've noted it here... The only African nation to recognize the Taiwan authorities is Eswatini, while every other solely recognizes the People's Republic of China. China has historically supported (and continues to support) pan-Afrikan movements and African development, and many very close bonds have been formed, so again, I'm not sure what your point is.
To add on, in regard to your final point, I myself am ethnically Korean, and I'm well aware of the anti-Communist nature of the US-occupied ROK. I have discussed this in my FAQ. And frankly, I personally don't find it contradictory for me, as a Korean, to utilize pre-built infrastructure (fandoms, in this case) to disseminate Marxist-Leninist thought.
I feel I should note that I do follow some groups, mostly from smaller labels (FNC, WAKEONE, etc.). I find Western pop largely soulless, but I do see some remnants of traditional Korean national culture within K-pop. Obviously, the industry also heavily takes from Black music, and larger groups are almost always extremely Westernized.
Plus, one of my majors is popular music studies (alongside political science), so it's not like I can really escape popular music/culture in general 😅 I do think it's very important to study/critique the industry rather than completely ignoring its existence as well as engage with fanbases to disseminate correct thought (e.g., correcting the narrative on the so-called "Tzuyu incident," calling members "Taiwanese," suggesting that China should "get over its Japan hate," etc.).