Over the Lunar New Year holiday, a heated exchange occurred on social media platforms between netizens from Korea and Southeast Asia, catalyzed by tensions in their K-Pop fan communities. This conflict was ignited after a Korean fan attempted to sneak a prohibited 'long camera' into a concert in Malaysia featuring the popular band Day6. Following criticism from Malaysian K-Pop fans regarding the proper decorum of concert-goers, Korean netizens responded with derogatory comments about the appearance and culinary habits of Southeast Asians, further escalating the dispute into a broader conflict between Korea and various Southeast Asian nations.

As the online conflict intensified, some Korean users resorted to 'doxxing', tracking down the social media accounts of Southeast Asian K-Pop fans involved in the argument. This led to public shaming, with some Korean commenters expressing anti-immigrant sentiments by suggesting these fans were criticizing Korea while benefiting from employment opportunities available to foreigners. Phrases echoing nationalistic and xenophobic attitudes were used as they criticized these individuals as being 'haters' while working in Korea, reflecting deep-seated biases prevalent in parts of Korean society.

In response to the growing conflict, netizens from Southeast Asia began to organize under the hashtag 'SEAbling', signifying solidarity among Southeast Asian countries and their shared experiences. The term combines 'Southeast Asia' with 'sibling', echoing a sense of unity against discrimination. Local media, notably in Indonesia, reported on the emergence of this new term, highlighting how it originated from a previous anti-government protest led by delivery workers in Indonesia, thus showcasing the capacity of these communities to respond collaboratively to perceived injustices, including those evolving from international cultural frictions.