The K-pop industry has been thriving for decades already. Idols may have come and gone, but K-pop fans continue to grow around the globe. In this case, events such as KCON bridge the way for the K-pop industry to reach out to international fans. In the recent KCON LA 2023 Day 2, a legend in the K-pop scene may have gone viral during his KCON stint. Jung Jihoon, AKA Rain, received a ‘black ocean’ from the KCON LA crowd, and in case you missed it, here’s why and what happened.
What is a ‘black ocean’?
For starters, in the K-pop world, lightsticks became essential for fans, especially concert-goers. Each K-pop group and soloists release their lightsticks for their fans to use in concerts to light up the domes or arenas. But when it comes to KCON, various designs of these lights can be seen as the lineup includes many idols. Do expect to see a lot of different lights that fans waved during the performances!
Going back to the question, what is a black ocean? It is when the fans or groups of different fandoms turn off their lightsticks during an artist’s performance. These lightsticks give the artists energy and inspiration to perform, and a venue with empty lights is not something they want to see. So, when a ‘black ocean’ happens, this can be a sign of protest. While reasons may still vary, some don’t support the artist, or maybe a boycott.
Why did Rain receive a ‘black ocean’?
If you’re new to K-pop, this rare ‘black ocean’ occurred during Rain’s stage at KCON LA. No, this isn’t about the performance of the 41-year-old idol but of alleged mismanagement of Ciipher. Fans from different fandoms unite to protest against Rain’s stint at the fans’ celebration of Korean culture and music. Let’s take a look at how this all started.
KCON LA started announcing the lineup and MC that would join the event in June 2023. Rain was announced as one of the show’s artists, which did not delight K-pop fans, specifically Ciipher’s. The group Ciipher debuted under Jung Jihoon’s RAIN Company, marking them their first K-pop group. Unfortunately, fans shared that Ciipher does not receive the proper treatment due to a lack of promotions, possibly leading to members’ participation in survival shows.
https://twitter.com/for_mywon/status/1668277340651282440?s=20
Fans showed how upset they were with Rain attending the event, and other fans on social media took it upon themselves to organize a ‘black ocean’ protest. Days before KCON LA 2023, K-pop fans, in general, unite to show their support for Ciipher and against RAIN Company’s mismanagement.
https://twitter.com/winxyeojin/status/1690160162756014080?s=20
everyone at kcon don’t forget to black ocean rain ! he doesn’t deserve even an ounce of support so please turn off your light sticks and don’t cheer at all
— val luvs jaehee (@daengsluv) August 19, 2023
Now, if you’re asking if the black ocean was successful, some KCON attendees confirmed that it really happened. On TikTok and X, viral videos of the KCON viewers booing Rain also surfaced. Fans believe that Rain, as the CEO of RAIN Company, needs to handle the responsibility for what’s happening in the boy group.
@hongsanbf black ocean (kinda) and booed him after every song LMFAOOO it got awfully quiet during his performance #hongsanbf #kcon #kcon2023 #kconla #rain
https://www.tiktok.com/@.kpop_multiverse/video/7269618588611267845?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7124142432430179841
However, it might not be the whole venue, as some still cheered for the idol, while others chose to remain silent. Some fans kept their lightsticks on, but for sure, Ciipher’s fans felt a hug from all the fandoms who supported their protest.
NOT COMPLETELY A BLACK OCEAN BUT ITS CLOSE ENOUGH OMG WE CHEERED RAIN BLACK OCEAN pic.twitter.com/BdTbfJHitv
— rua has pcd (@mymelorua) August 20, 2023
What happened to Ciipher?
In case you’re not familiar with the fourth-generation boy group Ciipher, they debuted in 2021 with seven members. Unfortunately, about two weeks ago, four members left the group. Ciipher slates to promote as a three-member boy group with Hwi, Hyunbin, and Keita.
RAIN Company mentioned that the three would continue with their individual activities and would later reorganize a new team. If you think you know Keita, you might have seen him at Mnet’s recent Boys’ Planet survival show. The 2001-born Japanese rapper garnered a fanbase during his stay on the show. Keita held his first fan meeting in Japan a few days back.
- Tan, Tag, Dohwan, and Won officially left Ciipher after a mutual agreement decision between the company and the members. We hope to see more of Ciipher in the K-pop scene in the near future.
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