BTS signage at Maengbang beach in Samcheok, South Korea.
Photographer: SeongJoon ChoK-pop Fans Are Fighting Big Coal to Protect Beach Made Famous by BTS
South Korea’s stubborn coal use is being felt on the country’s east coast, where a new power plant is threatening a K-pop landmark.
As heavy rains pummeled South Korea last month, K-pop fans braved stormy conditions to stage a protest on an east coast beach that's become synonymous with the genre and is now a flashpoint for concerns over the environmental impact of the country’s unwavering coal addiction.
The long stretch of soft, silver sand at Maengbang was the site of a famous photo shoot for the sleeve of BTS’s 2021 hit song Butter and is now a pilgrimage site for the band's devotees. Just six miles away, a gigantic coal-burning power plant is under construction and could be fired up as soon as October. Dotted along the shoreline are dredgers completing work to add artificial sand, groynes, jetties and breakwaters to prevent further coastal erosion.