Online calls to “boycott Korea” across Southeast Asian social media have prompted Seoul to reassess how vulnerable its hard‑won soft power in the region is to sudden reputational shocks, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The official, who oversees Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) affairs, told The Korea Times that the ministry has been tracking signs of anti‑Korean sentiment and the “SEAblings” online backlash since it erupted after a recent K‑pop concert in Malaysia. “We’re concerned about this anger spreading into wider public sentiment, so we have been monitoring it closely,” the official said on Thursday. The conflict traces back to a Jan. 31 concert by Korean band DAY6 in Kuala Lumpur, where a group of Korean fan site photographers were accused of bringing in high-resolution cameras despite a strict ban on such equipment. Local fans who said their views were blocked posted videos and screenshots, saying the photographers did not respect Malaysian rules. What began as an online dispute over manners escalated into tr