by MICHELLE WOO
“Please stop saying ‘anyong-anyong haseyo.’ Please stop saying ‘kamsahamni—what?'”
In a music video that’s already raked in more than 2 million views, Malaysian YouTube darling Joyce Chu sings about what it’s like when everyone assumes you’re Korean when you’re not.
The fresh-faced, ukelele-playing 17-year-old, who lives in Johor Bahru (often called JB) in southern Malaysia, bemoans getting hit on by Korean dudes (“I beg you, oppa, oppa, oppa, stop bothering me”) and the fact that people think she’s had plastic surgery (“I know you’re actually criticizing me about my face, nose chin, eyes and dimples”). She believes that “Korean dramas are fake so stop being crazy about [them].” Oh no, she did-n’t.
Chu does love kimchi and K-pop—she’s done covers of Crayon Pop and her “idol” 2NE1. She just wants to proclaim that she’s a “Malaysia Chabor” (woman)—and proud of it. Fair enough.
