My site where I share my behind the scenes of my youtube videos with you. :)
Check out my Youtube Channel.
Check out my latest video below
Video Script
So, K-pop Idols are Being Racist AGAIN...
Intro
JYPE boy rock k-pop group Xdinary Heroes recently got in hot water because member Jun Han said the following on the fan connection site Bubble (get from moluccensis video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vld7XVNtiLo). He said these things apparently because he is studying genetics while in college in Korea. While he and JYPE did apologize (in a post), this is far from the first incident of k-pop idols saying racist things.
In this excellent video by Lani’s Lens on the subject, Lani discusses the history of racism in k-pop and the “culture vulture” aspect of being a k-pop idol - I highly suggest you go watch that video, after you finish this one of course, for even more context.
Girl group Kiss of Life also recently got into hot water for member Julie’s birthday live stream which had an “old school hip-hop theme” that quickly devolved into the members using black-cents and perpetuating harmful stereotypes of the Latinx community. Member Julie, whose birthday was being celebrated in the live stream, did address the issue herself, apologized, and said they would do better going forward.
It is far beyond my place to accept these apologies (for what should be obvious reasons), so I will leave that to the communities that were harmed. But, as is my niche here on youtube, I can discuss these issues with an open mind and evaluate what might need to change in the k-pop scene going forward.
Hi, I’m Melody and I discuss k-pop and its effect on pop culture (and sometimes whatever else I feel like) here on my channel, so feel free to subscribe if that interests you.
Is this a systemic issue just within k-pop, or Korea in general?
Don’t get me wrong, the U.S. is also a very racist place, as we can see with the recent ICE raids and with the person who is sitting in the highest office in our country. So, I’m not saying that other countries don’t have their issues or “blind spots” when it comes to race.
But K-pop has been profiting from the black community since the very beginning - the concept of idol training itself is taken from the Motown model, in which artists were given classes in everything from how to talk to the media to how to carry yourself in public. You can see how this crosses over to the idol training system.
The music has also been, for lack of a better word, ‘inspired’ by black culture found in the rap and hip hop scenes. Many idols have been caught in “scandals” of saying or singing or rapping the n-word - a word which is not theirs to reclaim, even if they grew up in the US.
From cornrows to sagging pants, we see many k-pop idols being “inspired” by certain aspects of black culture. And I hope you understand when I am talking about this that these things are not “bad” or in any way harmful on their own - it is the lack of recognition for where it comes from that is bad.
However, these things have been seen in western culture as “bad” parts of black people. BIPOC folks (black & indigenous people of color) have been systematically harmed for centuries by white folks in the western world for simply being themselves. Black hairstyles are often seen as “unprofessional” as are indigenous clothing and tattoos. Indigenous people in multiple countries were and continue to be torn from their families to be made more “white” and “acceptable”.
“But, these things happened in the U.S. and other countries! Not in Korea!” I can hear you say. Oh dear viewer, but it did. So quick history lesson…
So, from 1910 to 1945 (the end of WW2) Japan was occupying Korea, and “reeducated” the Korean populace to “fit into” Japanese culture and “Soon after assuming power, the Japanese colonial government tore down over a third of the complex’s historic buildings (in Korea), and the remaining structures were turned into tourist attractions for Japanese visitors.” (https://www.history.com/articles/japan-colonization-korea)
So Idols are most likely at the very least aware of that history. Whether or not they learn about global issues like slavery in the US is up for debate. But according to this Quora post from 4 years ago, the basics are taught in most Korean schools. (Y'all in the comments can let me know, too, if you know). (https://www.quora.com/Is-American-history-taught-in-Korea) And I'm not trying to say that these atrocities that were committed by the Japanese government are as bad as copying a black hairstyle. But Idols should at least be able to empathize and understand why doing so can be offensive to some black Americans.
Now, I'm not trying to say that every Korean should learn about the history of black people in the US - that'd be silly, because we Americans only learn the basics about other countries in school (as far as how those countries effect us…) BUT we also have to consider the fact that many of us are not k-pop idols with a global audience. (I feel like I have a lot of disclaimers in this video, but I just know some people aren't gonna watch all the way through and write an angry comment on something I actually talked about. But, that's ok, more engagement for me!)
The Idol (lack of) Education System
Anyways, we know that a lot of k-pop idols get a minimal education. A large majority of idols train from ages 15-19, with many more beginning their training in middle school or even later elementary school. Hell, New Jeans member Hyein was 14 when she debuted. And Jihyo from Twice started training at just age 8. While there currently is no law that idols HAVE to complete at least high school, many companies do have their idols attend in person schools or online school depending on their schedules. I cannot personally vouch for the level of education they receive, as it mostly seems to be on an individual basis, and from arts-focused schools.
For an example, NCT’s Jaemin dropped out of school at 13 due to not being able to do the crazy idol schedule and school. “On the show “My English Puberty,” he said that he couldn’t balance the two and had to choose which one was more important to him.” (https://fhspost.com/9182/arts-entertainment/the-damage-of-debuting-minors-in-k-pop/#:~:text=Since%20the%20average%20training%20period%20is%20two,debut%20until%2010%20years%20later%2C%20in%202015.) Plenty of other idols have made the decision to drop out of school, too.
Recently Babymonster’s Asa got into hot water for joking that she “dropped out of kindergarten”. What she was really saying was that since she started idol training so young, it felt like she didn’t get the normal school experience. (http://reddit.com/r/kpopthoughts/comments/1ltyurh/babymonster_asa_clarifies_the_misinformation/) On the other hand, RM, Suga, and J-Hope have all pursued degrees at Global Cyber University, while Jin completed a degree at Konkuk University. (https://www.collegevine.com/faq/111658/do-k-pop-stars-usually-go-to-college_) As of 2022, 6 members except Jungkook have gone to college. (https://www.quora.com/Do-BTS-members-go-to-college-What-major-did-they-take)
But like JYPE said in their apology on the Jun Han situation, they do need to educate their artists better.
Jun Han is in college, supposedly, and either has learned there about these things he mentioned on bubble or learned it somewhere else. It's not like Korea has a huge black population, not like we do in the US. So, it seems these comments are mostly from a place of ignorance and possible misunderstanding of the history of genetics that he's learned in school. I'm not saying it is the school's fault, as that can't really be proven, but it is an issue of ignorance.
If k-pop idols are going to have any kind of contact with cultures outside of Korea, then they need to be educated on those cultures before they say things from a place of ignorance that spread harmful stereotypes. They need to be taught that certain things are harmful to parts of their audience. Or do they?
Are we holding these idols to too high of standards?
“They’re just musical artists, why do they need to be educated about these things?” you might ask.
Well, like I said in my video about Chappelle Roan, if they are going to discuss things outside the realm of their music, then yes - they need to be educated on these things.
Of course, one of the many arguments I see is that the US and the West are not the center of the world (duh). But again, these idols are in global positions, and have to act on a global stage, so to speak. Idols have platforms (twitter, instagram, their fan platforms like Bubble) where they talk to huge audiences of people from all over the world - they can’t just simply ignore the things their fans deal with on a daily basis because it is convenient for them (unless they just want to be assholes). Or, they can take a step back and not interact with their fans in this way. But they can’t have it both ways. They can’t have their fan interactions and remain ignorant to the state of the world because of their idol privilege.
So, if they want to have a deeper connection with their fans (and ultimately make their companies more money, because that’s what it’s all about in the end) then yes - they do need to learn about world history and cultures.
What needs to change in k-pop going forward?
It is 2025. We all have the wealth of the worlds’ knowledge at our fingertips. I found a lot of things in this video simply by googling and reading a few articles. There is no reason why k-pop idols can’t do the same.
One issue, though, is that some of this is systemic to Korea. Their culture can be unfriendly to outsiders, for good reason. Like I mentioned, Japan invaded Korea in very recent history - and so has Russia, China and the United States. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Korea_until_1948) It’s really no wonder why they might isolate themselves and be rather homogenous (show definition).
As Michelle Duquette, a Canadian who moved to Korea in 2015, said in her article for travel website “Aclipse”, “I won’t sugarcoat it—there are occasional moments when I’ve felt like an outsider. I’ve walked into restaurants and felt the room pause for a beat. But the longer I’ve been here, the more I’ve realized that while you might not always be fully included, you’re rarely unwelcome.” (https://aclipse.net/do-koreans-like-foreigners-my-honest-take-after-living-in-korea/#:~:text=So%2C%20do%20Koreans%20like%20foreigners,Tap%20to%20unmute) And many visitors and transplants have said on tiktok and other places how they often get stared at or touched because they look different. But for the most part, like most countries I think, Korea is open and respectful to foreigners as long as they are open and respectful to them.
After all, one goal of k-pop is to bring people and their money to Korea. This is something I’ve discussed before (in my Seo Taiji & Boys video) and is called “soft power”. The Korean government does want tourists and their money to visit, so they can grow.
The one thing we have to fix, then, is k-pop idols’ emulation of American black people and their culture. As long as they understand what is and isn’t appropriation or appreciation, then we will all be sitting pretty. I would say that these k-pop companies could really benefit from having black Americans on staff for cultural sensitivity training (for everyone too, not just the idols). They need to at least teach these idols the difference between fashion and being racist.
But, let me know your thoughts down below! Is there anything else you can think that idol training can do better to help mitigate situations like Jun Han’s? Or, does all this not bother you at all?