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The 'Earth Defense Force Challenge' began to gain popularity around March 2022 when dance crew Emet Sound uploaded challenge videos set to their music 'Earth Defense Force'. It became particularly popular on various short-form video platforms in 2022, spreading as a meme on TikTok.

The 'Earth Defense Force Challenge' refers to a dance where multiple people pose with outstretched arms and slowly advance forward to Emet Sound's addictive music. The name 'Earth Defense Force' comes from its motif, which is the fighting poses seen in Super Sentai series like 'Chikyuu Bouei-tai Flashman' (Earth Defense Force Flashman). It typically starts with participants standing still, then as the music begins, they raise their hands threateningly forward and advance. The key is to match strides and speed with others, maintaining a serious expression. Because the sight of multiple people with outstretched arms resembles 'vegetable tempura' (야채튀김), it is also sometimes called the 'Vegetable Tempura Challenge'.

This meme gained significant popularity among young people in their teens and twenties who actively use short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Beyond the general public, various celebrities such as actors Oh Yeong-su and Lee Si-young, IVE, Loco, Haha, Park Myung-soo, and Im Chang-jung also participated, increasing its recognition across all generations. However, some online communities expressed resentment, calling it a 'forced meme'.

The 'Earth Defense Force Challenge' is primarily used in a format where multiple people gather in a specific location and dance to the music. For example, actor Oh Yeong-su participated, and Emet Sound performed it at the Waterbomb Festival. Additionally, school violence prevention officers from Gunpo Police Station created a video using this challenge as part of their school violence prevention education. It spread in various ways, with numerous celebrities filming videos and ordinary people attempting the challenge while holding objects that represent their characteristics.

Jee-goo-bahng-wee-day Challenge