Written by Lorraine Pan. This article discusses K-pop and the use of lightsticks in the Winter Bluebird Movement in Taiwan in December 2024. Taiwanese K-pop fans used lightsticks to express their political views, drawing inspiration from similar actions in South Korea. Pan argues that the movement showcased the fan community’s power and challenged negative perceptions, highlighting their active engagement in political issues.
Written by Dafydd Fell. The general picture in 2022 is one of the challenger parties being further squeezed out of the party system. After the two main parties, the third largest party in the 2022 elections was the TPP, winning Hsinchu City mayor and 14 council seats. However, its impact should not be exaggerated. Despite its greater financial resources compared to other small parties, only 14 out of the TPP’s 86 candidates were elected. Given these results, the party may struggle to be competitive in the next round of national elections in 2024.
Taiwan Insight 