Instagram Removes Video of Foreigner Spraying 'Hand Sanitizer' on Korean Grandmother

Black Man Chasing Korean Grandmother Sprays Suspected Hand Sanitizer Liquid
Netizens "Delete the Video," "Clear Racial Discrimination" Outrage
Instagram "Aware of the Issue, Reviewing and Will Remove Video"

A video of a Black man living in the United States spraying hand sanitizer on a Korean grandmother, posted on his Instagram on the 15th. / Photo by Instagram video capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] A video showing a Black man spraying hand sanitizer on a Korean grandmother has sparked controversy on Instagram, and Instagram has reportedly removed the video.

On the 19th, an Instagram representative told MoneyS, "After reviewing whether the video violated community guidelines, we took action to remove it."

They added, "Instagram takes a strict stance against content related to racism and hate."

Earlier, a Black man identified as Mr. A, residing in the United States, posted a 10-second video on his Instagram on the 15th.

The video shows Mr. A chasing a fleeing Korean grandmother while indiscriminately spraying hand sanitizer. He shouted toward the fleeing grandmother, "Come here, You need some," implying "Come here and sanitize your hands. You need this." The grandmother refused by saying "No," but Mr. A laughed and continued to follow her.

In particular, the grandmother’s face was exposed without any mosaic blurring in the video, which angered netizens. As of 3 PM on the 18th, the video had surpassed 400,000 views and received over 27,000 comments.

As the news spread, netizens both domestically and internationally demanded the video be taken down, calling it "racism."

Among the comments, one stated, "I am the granddaughter of the victim grandmother, and since she cannot speak English, is there anyone who can help?" The commenter added, "My friend repeatedly requested Mr. A to delete the video, but he blocked the account, so we decided to report it immediately." They further said, "Even though the grandmother’s video was posted and she was insulted, he still did not come to his senses and even posted on his Instagram story that Asians are acting up, so I am reporting him."

As the controversy intensified, Mr. A posted on his Instagram story, "The video was not filmed by me. I love Asians and I am not a racist." However, he did not delete the video.

In response, Instagram recognized the issue and took urgent action after an internal review. The video was removed around 7 PM on the 18th.

Meanwhile, Instagram currently removes content that includes threats or hate speech, defames specific individuals, or causes humiliation under its community guidelines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.