K-pop Community Reacts to TMZ’s Racist Remarks

Music by Reera Yoo

by ARIANNA CARAMAT

This past weekend, K-pop girl group, EXID, landed in Los Angeles where they were scheduled to perform at the Korea Times Music Festival. As with any K-pop group, swarms of their adoring fans came bearing gifts and had cameras in-hand for possible selfies as they patiently waited for the idols at the airport terminal entrance. Amongst the mass of loving fans, there’s always expected to be some paparazzi, but we certainly didn’t expect to see American media outlet TMZ.

For those who are unfamiliar, TMZ is basically a televised paparazzi round table, where “reporters” dish out the latest news, but this time around, their celebrity gossip segment had EXID fans across the globe raising their eyebrows in shock.

Sure, EXID member Junghwa’s attempt to speak English wasn’t perfect, but did it really call for that poor imitation? Many have agreed that the TMZ staffs’ lack of judgement was offensive, and it hit close to home for fellow K-pop idols like Amber of f(x), Ok Taecyeon of 2PM and Park Joon of G.O.D.

 

Translation: “When they make fun of a person’s accent do they not realize that said person is able to fluently speak another language? ㅋㅋㅋ The mentality behind making fun of someone who greeted fans in their own language is just wow…”

아~ 뒤늣깨 이소식을 지금 드럿내요… @tmz_tv 가 Exid 한태 한 행동은 말두안돼구 완전 부끄러울행동을햇내… 어느사람이 따른 나라와서 방갑다구 그나라말루 노력해서 한말을 놀리는거는 자기자신과 자기나라얼굴애 침뱉는짓인것이나 마찬가진대 그걸모르내… 입장을 한번 바꿔보구생각하지두안쿠… 이건 인종차별떠나서 그냥 못배워먹은 바보짓이엿내… tmz 공개사과를 해야됄뜻… #지오디 #fangod #tmzUneducated #Exid #tmzExid #TMZ #ignorance Wow… I just heard of this news about TMZ and their unacceptable uneducated behaviour towards Exids members! When someone goes to another country and that person tries their very best to say that they are happy to be there in a foreign language… they should be welcomed…NOT mocked… This unacceptable behaviour by tmz not only degrades themselves and shows how shallow and ignorant one can be but also is like spitting on their own faces and the country that they represent… one should always think before speaking and at least reverse roles and think how they would feel if that role was reversed… I think a public apologiy is needed…BBBAAAMMM~!!! A photo posted by 박준형 god Joon Park (@godjp) on

EXID’s label has responded after watching TMZ’s segment: “We saw what happened. We’re very angry that they would make fun of Koreans’ way of talking and their tone. This is not something to laugh about. It is a clear case of racism. We are going to go through Korean media in America to contact TMZ and demand a response.”

Uh-oh, TMZ. It looks like you picked the wrong celebrities to laugh at.

___

Originally published on Audrey Magazine

Up Next
Latest News