Celebrity and Lifestyle
Yes, there is racism in K-culture. When will we have this conversation?
Talk to me for a little over 30 minutes and you will come to find out, one or another, that I like K-pop. Not that I am not aware of the issues surrounding the K-pop industry, but I have always chosen to not make them my concern. I have only been made to face one of the pressing problems with Kpop due to a recent incident with Crush, a Kpop star, who was accused of deliberately refusing to shake the hands of black fans during a show (Did Crush Snub Black Fans at a Concert in South Korea? – The New York Times). The statement he uploads on social media after the accusation registers his complicity and even subtle reinforcement of his racist treatment. Following the statement, the anti-fans of Crush went on to dig up a performance where he did blackface (yes, in the 21st century) (Jackson). The fact that another K-pop idol – JHope of BTS – goes on to like this problematic statement has heightened the awareness of people to the anti-blackness inherent within K-pop. The politics of whiteness often played in the K-pop industry shares semblance with the rhetoric of whiteness presented in Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians. But hey, this is a discussion for another day.
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