With the worldwide popularity of K-Pop, many institutions started incorporating the genre into their programs.
Institutions such as the government branches have started to utilize the popularity of the K-Pop culture. Some started to adopt monickers based on K-Pop groups and some even referenced Korean Pop culture in their discourse.
For example, Former House Speaker and Taguig City-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano recently created a new bloc named after the Korean Boy Band, BTS. Alongside his allies Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, Batangas Rep. Ranie Abu, Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, and Capiz Rep. Fred Castro, they created their majority bloc.
Fans of BTS chided Rep. Cayetano and his allies. Some even said that the politicians are riding on the hype of the K-Pop group.
Now, Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana used the Korean Series, Crash Landing On You (CLOY) in his response to the University of the Philippines.
Sa UP mayroon silang ala-Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Military can’t enter without coordination. What makes UP so special? Nasa Korean border ba kayo? CLOY is life na ba? We are not your enemies. We are here to protect our people, especially our youth.
— Delfin Lorenzana (@del_lorenzana) January 19, 2021
Earlier, the Department of National Defense terminated the 1989 agreement with UP. This agreement prevents the military from entering campus premises without prior notice.
Lorenzana referenced CLOY, which made the Korean Series trend on Twitter. Netizens took to Twitter to criticize Lorenzana for using the beloved series to gain relevance and attention from the public while slamming DND for their decision.
Here are some of the tweets from netizens and personalities such as Kiko Rustia and Pia Magalona regarding Lorenzana’s reference and DND’s decision:
Wag na kayong sumubok maging 'hip' dahil syan sa references nyo. No one is buying it.
AFP is meant to safeguard us against foreign invaders, the likes of which are already in the WPS. What have you done about that?
This move is just a way to suppress future opposition leaders
— kiko rustia (@kikorustia) January 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/PinoyAkoBlog/status/1351366516428574720
It’s a UP thing you wouldn’t understand. But to clown around as such is unbecoming of a supposed bemedalled military man.
I’m not from UP either, but surrounded by family members from there, so I get their spirit. #DefendUP https://t.co/07sPMSIbn4
— Pia Magalona ⁷ (@piamagalona) January 19, 2021
The cloy reference. SIR NO pic.twitter.com/ntCAfQh0qc
— Jerick Baarde (@jerickbaarde) January 19, 2021
Hanep itong si Lorenzana, nasobrahan sa kakanood ng Koreanovela. Hoy, nangyayari sa totoong buhay ang mga pag abuso ng militar at PNP kaya kayo bawal sa mga eskwelahan. It should be a safe space where students can exercise academic freedom. Doon kayo mag CLOY sa mga barracks niyo pic.twitter.com/8eu00oc5g3
— Maria Sol Taule (@soltaule) January 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/itsme_KdotG/status/1351538112803921923
Nonetheless, despite the discourse between netizens and politicians, it proves one thing. K-Pop’s popularity does not only thrive among the masses but with the government as well.
