"Teachers Should Teach and Lead Proper Behavior" 청원 at Blue House
Uijeongbu High's 'Gwanjjak Sonyeondan' Photo Sparks Blackface Controversy
Blackface Makeup Imitation... Taboo in US, UK Since 1960s
Students of Uijeongbu High School parodying 'Gwanjjag Sonyeondan,' which gained popularity on YouTube. Photo by Uijeongbu High School Student Council Facebook post capture.
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] As it was revealed that students of Uijeongbu High School took graduation photos wearing 'blackface' makeup, sparking a racial discrimination controversy, a national petition has been raised calling for enhanced education on racial discrimination in the public education curriculum.
On the 10th, a petition titled "I hope education on racial discrimination will be covered more thoroughly in the public education curriculum" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.
In the petition, the petitioner pointed out, "The students involved did not think their actions were wrong," and added, "The bigger problem is that neither teachers nor fellow students at their school taught or guided them that such behavior is inappropriate, which they failed to do."
They continued, "In the current government that pursues human rights, life, and justice, I am submitting this petition hoping that even briefly, education on various racial discriminatory acts will be provided in public education or other social education programs," and added, "I hope proper education on racial discrimination will be conducted in the public education curriculum so that such incidents never happen again in Korea." As of the 11th, the petition had received over 4,300 endorsements.
The controversy arose after the Uijeongbu High School Student Council posted graduation photos featuring blackface on their official Facebook page on the 3rd. In the photos, five students dressed in black suits and sunglasses with their faces painted black are seen carrying a coffin on their shoulders.
The photos are known to be a parody of the so-called 'Coffin Dance' group. The Coffin Dance refers to a video filmed at a funeral in Ghana, showing pallbearers dancing while carrying a coffin, which gained worldwide fame after spreading through YouTube and other social networking services (SNS).
On the 10th, a petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board requesting the reinforcement of education related to racial discrimination in the public education curriculum. / Photo by National Petition Board capture
The problem lies in the fact that during the parody, they imitated the so-called 'blackface,' which is considered taboo due to its racial discriminatory elements. Blackface is a stage makeup where non-Black individuals paint their faces black to imitate Black people. It was popular in Western countries such as the UK and the US in the 19th century but became taboo after being criticized as a racially discriminatory act during the US civil rights movement in the 1960s.
After the graduation photos were made public, domestic netizens also responded critically, saying things like "Blackface is racial discrimination," "It was careless even if it was a joke," and "How is it different from a white person imitating Asians by pulling their eyes?"
However, some argued that they merely followed content that became popular on the internet and had no intention of disparaging any race. One netizen wrote on SNS, "It's literally just makeup," and claimed, "There seems to be no malice such as mockery, so blindly criticizing it also seems problematic."
Sam Okyere, a Ghanaian-born broadcaster, posted the photo on his Instagram on the 6th, saying, "It’s sad to see this in 2020," and pointed out, "Please don’t do this! I understand following culture, but is it really necessary to paint your face?"
However, after some netizens criticized the act of posting photos of students who are not public figures without mosaic blurring as excessive, he deleted the post the next day (7th) and apologized, saying, "I am sorry for causing controversy due to the photos and posts I uploaded."
Meanwhile, Uijeongbu High School explained in a phone interview with 'Kukmin Ilbo' on the same day regarding the Coffin Dance photos, "The students do not even know the concept of 'blackface,'" and stated that the makeup was intended to directly imitate the parody subject as it is.
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