On December 2, the 2023 Melon Music Awards took place, honoring many K-Pop groups and allowing them to shine on stage.
| Melon
This should have been a very happy event, but something stood out to fans of certain groups. During IVE and NewJeans‘ award acceptances, some fans noticed very few lightsticks lit in the crowd, giving the appearance of the groups receiving black oceans.
NewJeans IVE
But is this actually the case?
Usually, at multi-group events, a variety of fans will be present, and regardless of who they “stan,” they will usually hold up their lightsticks out of politeness when other groups are performing.
However, in the past, there have been times when audiences created a “black ocean” by turning their lightsticks off, leaving the group performing in an almost entirely dark venue. This is done as a sign of protest, like when fans protested Jisoo‘s addition to Lovelyz at the 2015 Pepsi Concert.
The most recent attempt was of Rain at KCON LA 2023, as many were upset over his treatment of groups.
Fact Check: Did Rain Really Receive A Black Ocean And Get Booed At “KCON LA 2023?”
To receive a black ocean is a very serious thing, so it is understandable why fans would be upset for this sort of thing to happen. Some blamed the fans of boy groups attending the event for not showing support, while others wondered why this would happen to such well-loved groups.
a black ocean in 2023 is crazy and very disrespectful to both groups 4th gen ggs have been on top lately and they are VERY weird for doing this to them https://t.co/Le6RQBp6cK
— ♡︎ᴏɴᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪɴᴅɪɢᴏ⁷⁺⁹⟬⟭ (@haeminkoo) December 2, 2023
mma needs to distribute tickets evenly across all fans bc no way did these bg stans give newjeans and ive an almost “black ocean” during their daesang speeches…
— HURT SOTY 𓃹 (@hurtsaz) December 2, 2023
mma needs to distribute tickets evenly across all fans bc no way did these bg stans give newjeans and ive an almost “black ocean” during their daesang speeches…
— HURT SOTY 𓃹 (@hurtsaz) December 2, 2023
As it turns out, these girl groups did not receive black oceans technically.
From the angle of the images, it is easy to assume that the groups were being shown disrespect by fans of other groups. However, others pointed out that different idol groups, including male idols, also did not have a large showing of lightsticks at certain moments either.
black ocean is a serious issue why do kpop stans lie about getting this treatment when its just a lighting issue & the audience filming them on the phone so theres less lightsticks? Its literally the same for the boys too. watch the performances u see no one got any blackocean pic.twitter.com/Swhqbl01zs
— jungkook’s gf (@fixonagustdd) December 2, 2023
For anyone still misunderstanding, it’s not a black ocean. I watched from beginning to end. On the ground, many people were holding phones and cameras, and from this side, there were barely any fanlights. It’s not just with GIRL GROUP but also BOY BAND too. https://t.co/zSD1woZ9L4 pic.twitter.com/GGO0tsqR9L
— ซอนโซงุนนัมม้าคคั้บ! ◡̈ (@oohscchs26) December 2, 2023
It seems like during award acceptances, fans lowered their lightsticks as others opted to film groups accepting their awards. The same can be said about performances: in the fan cam of NewJeans’s Hanni below, lit lightsticks from other groups can be seen in the background as those on the floor hold up their cameras to film.
Hanni cool w you fancam at MMA 2023#뉴진스 #하니 #NewJeans #Hanni pic.twitter.com/4G1KEnFvOs
— 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢⁷³ (@onlyhanni2k4) December 2, 2023
The same can be seen in this fan cam of NCT‘s Jaemin and Jeno.
231202 MMA 멜론뮤직어워드
재민제노 페어안무.. pic.twitter.com/d9M0K0U0MF
— 연 (@woalsluv) December 2, 2023
Thankfully, it seems like this was just an understandable misunderstanding!
