Forming a K-Pop Public: An Analysis of Weibo Yingxiaohaos in BOYNEXTDOOR Incident

On March 28, 2025, BOYNEXTDOOR released a statement cancelling their concert scheduled for the following day due to an earthquake in Thailand, triggered by the Myanmar earthquake. Chinese fans on Weibo were frustrated by the response, perceiving the group members as indifferent toward their fans in Thailand, most of whom were presumed to be Chinese travelers attending the concert. This incident sparked significant controversy on Weibo, especially through what I term the “ K-pop public ”— publics that are centered on, or emerge from, K-pop-related discourses . I conceptualize the K-pop public through an examination of major online public spaces on Weibo, with a particular focus on yingxiaohaos (yxhs) —commercially oriented social media accounts in China that consistently repost, interpret, and circulate news and narratives about K-pop and South Korea. Through the circulation of accumulated discussions and the affordances of Weibo, these yxhs collectively function as public spaces that shape discourses related to K-pop, while also intersecting with broader local and transnational social discourses. Drawing on an analysis of eleven K-pop-oriented yxhs over a one-month period, combined with online participant observation of the BOYNEXTDOOR Thailand incident, I argue that the K-pop public generated by yxhs functions as an affective networked public engaged in transcultural and transnational discussions—particularly concerning gendered idol–fan relationships and sentiments toward South Korea. This case also demonstrates how, in China, popular culture can become a focal point for discussing social tensions and regional politics. Furthermore, it illustrates how global popular culture, such as K-pop, can open avenues for transnational or transcultural publics to engage in meaningful debates on local sociocultural issues, foreign relations, and geopolitics.