K-Pop Fandom as a Left-Wing Political Force? The Case of Poland

Abstract

The article explores the political viewpoints of Polish K-Pop fans that have been dragged into political discourse in Poland and strongly associated with left-wing ideology. It demonstrates the popularity of K-Pop and Poland and provides background information on why and how its fandom has been seen as an active political force. The research was based on a survey with fans themselves, sharing what was important for them, but also on observation of Polish Facebook groups devoted to K-Pop. An important task of this paper is to discuss the findings in light of the notion of youth political participation and civic engagement.