K-pop World: Black Ocean Meaning Explained

The K-pop world has its own terms and ways of appreciating a K-pop group performing on a stage similar to the one called Black Ocean. Well, if you are a die-hard fan of K-pop, then you must certainly be aware of the term Black Ocean and how it affects performance. But in case you have no idea about it. So here we are to make you understand the meaning that Black Ocean has in the world of k-pop.
Read on to find out more about the Black Ocean and its significance in the world of K-pop.
Black Ocean and its connection to the world of k-pop
You may have seen k-pop groups that became popular over time and then had their own light stick for fans. What fans wear when they attend a concert of that group. What fans do best with this light fixture is turn it on when their favorite band performs. This is done as a support act for the k-pop group.
A Black Ocean is a very well planned act, it is not something that comes to you at the last moment. It’s something that harms artists, imagine working day and night to perform hoping that people/fans enjoy your stage and you only see: Black, nothing, no light+
— LORD JORDAN (@Mr_jordan69) July 26, 2022
When fans turn on the light bar during a concert performance. The ocean of light between the fans is a delight to watch. It’s a support act for k-pop groups. But that’s not all, the opposite also happens when they turn off the light bar during a group performance to show their lack of support. What creates Black Ocean among the audience. Black Ocean in the world of k-pop thus means the part of the audience that shows a lack of support during a performance by turning off their light stick.
Lightsticks are known in kpop: almost every fandom has an official one, we shake and light our lightsticks to show support, to show love, to show that we recognize the work of the artists and the efforts to be made.
— LORD JORDAN (@Mr_jordan69) July 26, 2022
When does the Black Ocean occur?
Usually, when a group’s audience doesn’t support a K-pop group or their performance, only one can witness a black ocean in the audience. This site is mostly seen at concerts where more than one K-pop group is performing.
Sometimes it can be due to a lack of interest in the performance of the group. Or sometimes it is an act of the fans of the opposing group. Where they voluntarily turn off their light bar to create a black ocean. In the world of k-pop, there have been several cases where the black ocean occurred.
“The fans were not so toxic before”
Also the fans during the 2008 dream concert when Girls’ Generation is still a rookie and performed in the black ocean while SUJU and TVXQ fans shouted Wonder Girls. pic.twitter.com/0e2YJ78F0Q
– avoid (@kibumkeyk_) December 26, 2020
Which K-pop groups have taken on the black ocean?
Although all this in the world of k-pop seems normal. However, both the oceans of light and the ocean of black affect the performance of a K-pop group. In fact, there have been many K-pop groups where they saw a black ocean during their performance at events.
One of them was Girls Generation, where during their performance in the year 2008, they saw a black ocean during their Dream concert performance. No doubt, there were also other K-pop groups to perform at the event. In 2015, even Seventeen had the experience of a black ocean during their performance for the MAMA Awards.
BTS also had to face a black ocean during the Melon Music Awards. Where fans of the Exo group as revenge turned off their light bar for BTS.
so seventeen experienced a black ocean, back in 2015. I didn’t believe in this at first because SEVENTEEN at MAMA 2015 is one of the most iconic performances of them… getting a black ocean is really hard. All kpop groups don’t. deserves this… 😭 pic.twitter.com/T5xoiFvAzJ
— wen (@awwwoozi1) August 20, 2020
bts received black ocean back in 2013-2016 all fans turn off their light bar at every award show when its time for bts to perform but watch them now owning all kpop award shows as their own concert . pic.twitter.com/GOIi9i15Sl
— divi⁷ (@tkluvus) June 11, 2020