Every first day of March, Koreans take some time to commemorate those who fought for the nation’s independence from Japan’s colonial rule in March 1919.

K-pop stars are no exception. To mark the 96th anniversary of March 1 Independence Movement Day that fell on Sunday, they encouraged their fans on SNS and TV to think about the historic day.

Yang Yo-seob, member of K-pop idol band BEAST tweeted, “Today is the March 1 Independence Movement Day. I was once very shocked by news that there are students who do not know what the day is about.”

“It is a national holiday marked in red on our calendar. The red perhaps means a great deal of blood that independence fighters spilt.”

Alongside the tweet, he released a photo that includes a guideline to fly a national flag.

“It is a holiday, but I hope that you don’t just sit back and rest. Hope that today could be meaningful for you thinking about what the March 1 Independence Day means to us,” he concluded.

Kwon So-hyun, a member of K-pop girl band 4Minute, also expressed thanks to those who stood up against Japan on the day nearly 100 years ago.

After winning the top trophy on SBS’ music competition program “Inkigayo,” Kwon made a memorable speech, saying, “Today is the March 1 Independence Movement day. I will never forget how much I should appreciate (those who fought for independence.)


Another K-pop girl band SISTAR’s Dasom posted a photo of the Korean national flag with a caption, “Guys. This year’s March 1 Independence Day is more special as it has been 70 years since we gained independence.”
“Let’s not forget the spirit of self-sacrifice of those patriots who gave up their lives for their country and hoist the Korean flag,” she said.

Such tweets invited some unexpected criticism from Japanese fans, but praises from Korean fans.


Sunny, a member of Girls’ Generation, a hugely popular girl band across Asia, wrote on her Instagram, “There is no future to the people who forget history.”

Enraged by the comment viewed by many as urging Japan to repent its history, Japanese fans wrote, “Why don’t you stop coming to Japan to earn money then?” “Don’t provoke Japan,” and “Do you know that you are making Japanese people unhappy?”

Korean netizens, however, lauded her remarks as meaningful, saying that “it was the right thing to do.”

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)