K-pop Cheering Symbol 'Eungwonbong' Shines at Paris Olympics

HYBE to Produce 'Team Korea Light Sticks'... Approximately 5,000 Units Provided Locally in Paris

The 'light stick,' a symbol of K-pop cheering culture, will shine at the Paris Olympics as well.

HYBE announced that it will provide the Korea Sports Council with a specially made ‘Team Korea Light Stick’ to support the South Korean national team participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Earlier, in March, HYBE signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Sports Council to lead the Olympic cheering culture. They agreed to collaborate on innovating and promoting cheering culture domestically and internationally, as well as jointly promoting K-culture at the Paris Olympics. Accordingly, they will supply about 5,000 light sticks developed with their own technology, collaborate on cheering content with HYBE artists, provide HYBE Labels artists’ content at the local ‘Korea House’ in Paris, and produce official Team Korea merchandise.

HYBE will actively utilize the light sticks to create a cheering atmosphere for Team Korea on-site in Paris. The ‘Team Korea Light Stick,’ designed, developed, and produced entirely by HYBE, will be presented in two types: a general version (TEAM KOREA OFFICIAL LIGHT STICK) and an athlete version (TEAM KOREA OFFICIAL DIGITAL FLAG).

The light stick’s design is inspired by the Olympic torch. The Team Korea logo is placed inside a transparent case at the top of the handle, emphasizing the identity of the South Korean team. Below the logo, the light-emitting part features a circular shape inspired by the Olympic stadium, with a pattern that spreads outward like the stands of the stadium. When powered on, the visual effect of light radiating from the center like waves is maximized, and it is designed to produce various effects during lighting performances.

The athlete version of the light stick is differentiated by attaching the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) at the top. The actual appearance of the athlete light stick will be revealed for the first time at the commemorative photo session during the Paris Olympics team send-off ceremony held this afternoon.

HYBE will provide 500 light sticks for the South Korean athletes and about 4,500 general light sticks at the Korea House in Paris for anyone supporting the South Korean team locally.

At Korea House, the local cheering hub for Team Korea, group cheering events using the light sticks will also take place. On July 27 (local time), the day after the opening ceremony, hundreds of people including athletes’ families and key figures from various countries will gather in the outdoor garden of Korea House to watch and cheer for the South Korean team’s competitions together. HYBE plans to distribute light sticks to all attendees and showcase a ‘light stick performance’ that adjusts colors and lighting in sync with cheering chants.

The light stick performance works by receiving signals transmitted from a central controller to make the light sticks illuminate in unison. This creates a dazzling cheering scene like a K-pop concert audience, fostering a unified cheering atmosphere. HYBE fully supports not only the light stick hardware but also its unique performance technology.

Unit BSS (Seungkwan, DK, Hoshi) of the HYBE label artist group SEVENTEEN will also join in cheering for Team Korea. BSS will be the first to participate in the ‘Team Korea Cheering Challenge’ using their mega-hit song ‘Fighting Haejya,’ performing choreography-based cheers to boost the enthusiasm for the South Korean team.

A HYBE official said, “The value of the light stick is connecting many people with one light,” and added, “We will present a new cheering paradigm by expanding the light stick, which started in K-pop, to the international sports stage.”