'Lightsticks off, motherf***ers': K-pop fans organise protest against Rain at Kcon

It's not uncommon for K-pop fans to organise protests against entertainment companies.

But when fans of different groups band together against one artiste, you know something is up.

Kcon LA, an annual K-pop convention in Los Angeles, US, was held from Aug 18 to 20 this year, with groups like The Boyz, Itzy and more in the lineup.

The most veteran act was soloist Rain who performed on the second day.

Though you may think the crowd would be excited to see him in the lineup, the opposite happened.

"Going to Kcon for the sole purpose of throwing tomatoes at him," said one K-pop fan after his set was announced in June.

The reason for the backlash?

His alleged mistreatment of the Korean boy band Ciipher.

Rain is the CEO of Rain Company, which currently manages the group.

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Since their debut in 2021, the group has only released two albums before entering a hiatus period with no releases to date. They initially had seven members, but four left the group earlier this month, leaving only Hwi, Hyunbin and Keita.

Netizens also brought up his playful comment on a variety show about giving up the price of a house to invest in the group: "Sometimes I even wonder why I picked them."

This isn't the first time Rain has been accused of mistreatment.

Fans of MBLAQ, a boy band Rain formed in 2009 under J. Tune Entertainment, added how he "abandoned" the group despite their popularity at the time.

The group originally had five members but two left in December 2014. The remaining members have been focusing on solo activities since.

"He literally treats them (the groups) like pets he takes care of for a month and then gets bored and abandons them, and he's not even embarrassed," said one fan on the social media platform X.

'Lightsticks off motherf***ers'

After fans of Ciipher and MBLAQ brought light to the situation, other fandoms started planning an organised 'black ocean' under the hashtag #JusticeforCiipher on X.

A 'black ocean' is where the audience turn off their lightsticks to demonstrate their protest towards a particular artiste.

One user on X wrote on Aug 12: "To everyone at Kcon, it doesn't matter who you stan. It doesn't matter who you're there to support. When Rain is on stage, lightsticks off. Black ocean. He ruined the dreams of these boys and he will know that's not okay."

[embed]https://twitter.com/winxyeojin/status/1690160162756014080?s=20[/embed]

"Lightsticks off, motherf***ers! Turn them off!" yelled one audience member just before Rain's set.

While there were mixed responses on whether the 'black ocean' was successful, videos of him getting booed after he left the stage went viral, with one racking up over a million views on TikTok.

According to audience members and Korean media, fewer lightsticks were turned on during Rain's performance and the crowd was silent, compared to other performers.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@hongsanbf/video/7269515328923946286[/embed]

One fan even held up their middle finger while Rain performed.

Rain debuted in 1998 and is considered an icon in the Korean showbiz industry. Longtime K-drama fans may also know him from his lead role in Full House (2004) alongside Song Hye-kyo.

Formerly under JYP Entertainment, Rain left to form his own company J. Tune Entertainment in 2007.

He reportedly sold his shares of J. Tune to JYP CEO Park Jin-young and signed with a sub-label of Cube Entertainment in 2013 until his departure in Sept 2015.

He set up Rain Company later that year.

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