Chilling Racist Attacks Targeting Sam Okyere

"Dislike Black People", "Go Back to Your Country" Faces Racism Criticism
"Must Confront and Change the Hatred Inherent in Society"

Broadcaster Sam Okyere from Ghana. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Excessive racist criticism continues to be directed at Ghanaian-born broadcaster Sam Okyere. On a recent YouTube video posted by Okyere, the comment section was flooded with remarks such as "Where are you crawling out from?" and "Please go back to Ghana," with some even making chilling comments reminiscent of the history of Black slavery.

While many claim that racism is wrong, their contradictory attitude of indiscriminately making racist remarks toward a specific individual is causing public disapproval.

On the 23rd, Okyere uploaded a video introducing a recipe for traditional Ghanaian food on his YouTube channel '5723 Okyere Life.' The video simply showed Okyere cooking with an acquaintance. After stepping down from all the shows he was appearing on last year due to controversies including accusations of belittling East Asians, Okyere resumed his social media activities this month to share updates on his life.

However, the video was met with a barrage of mocking and critical comments targeting Okyere. Besides personal attacks, there were derogatory remarks about his country of origin, such as "Do you even cook food in Ghana?" and "Not a single person cares about Ghanaian food." Some netizens used words like 'whip' and 'cotton,' evoking the history of Black people being abused as slaves, to launch harsh criticism at Okyere.

Although some pointed out that "They criticize racism but are themselves being racist," urging restraint, comments continued with sentiments like "Okyere started the racism first," and "Have you never thought it would come back like a boomerang?" implying that since Okyere disparaged Koreans, the criticism against him is justified.

Racist comments directed at Ghanaian-born broadcaster Sam Okyere. Photo by YouTube capture

The public opinion against Okyere worsened after he expressed discomfort over the graduation photos of Uijeongbu High School students last August, which sparked a 'blackface' controversy. At that time, the Ghanaian funeral culture involving carrying coffins and dancing, known as the 'coffin dance,' became a hot topic online. The Uijeongbu High School students parodied this by dressing in blackface, which caused controversy. Okyere criticized this parody from a Black perspective, saying it was "not funny at all" and labeled it as racist behavior.

In response, some netizens dug up Okyere's past statements and actions to attack him. They cited reasons such as Okyere making an eye-slitting gesture belittling East Asians on a broadcast, using the hashtag 'teakpop' with negative connotations about K-pop, and posting derogatory comments about Korean education in English. Some even claimed that the Uijeongbu High School students had no intention of racism, showing reluctance to acknowledge the racist act. The blatant hateful expressions toward him have continued even a year later.

Of course, criticism of Okyere's problematic behavior is possible. Okyere himself apologized via social media for being "careless" regarding the controversy and voluntarily withdrew from the shows he was appearing on. The problem lies in the fact that indiscriminate criticism and overt hateful expressions are rampant rather than constructive criticism. Most comments on Okyere's YouTube videos, while ostensibly condemning racism, either fail to realize that they themselves are making racist remarks or seem to deliberately ignore this fact.

Experts suggest that it is time for our society to confront the issue of racism. Kim Jihak, director of the Korea Diversity Research Institute, stated, "The criticisms reminiscent of Black slavery contain the contemptuous views toward Black people that have been held subconsciously. While we get angry when we are discriminated against, we easily direct criticism toward other races with a double standard." He emphasized, "There is no sign of self-reflection regarding the blackface controversy. Although uncomfortable, we need to acknowledge the deep-rooted hatred embedded in our society and adopt an attitude of reflection toward legitimate criticism."

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