UK BBC introduces Sam Okyere as "Black man fighting against Korean racism"

Uijeongbu High School Graduation Photo 'Gwanjjak Sonyeondan' Parody Criticized

▲ Sam Okyere (Photo by JTBC, screenshot from the broadcast of 'Non-Summit')

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Sam Okyere, a broadcaster from Ghana, Africa, who expressed discomfort over the graduation photos of Uijeongbu High School students, calling them racially discriminatory, explained in an interview with the British BBC that "there was no intention to criticize the children."

On the 13th, Sam Okyere stated this in an interview with the BBC's radio program 'Focus on Africa.' The program introduced Okyere as "a Black man fighting against racial discrimination in Korea."

Earlier, on the 6th, he criticized the graduation photos parodying the 'Blackface' makeup by Uijeongbu High School students and the 'Gwanjjag Sonyeondan' mimicking Ghana's funeral culture, saying, "As a Black person, I feel very uncomfortable." He later apologized after facing counterattacks.

He explained to the BBC, "I understand that they did not intend to cause harm or blatantly demean Black people," adding, "I just wanted to point out the historical context in which Black people find blackface offensive."

He continued, "This happened because Koreans are not well aware of the history related to blackface and lack understanding of why it is offensive," and said, "I have had many meaningful conversations with some Koreans who tried to understand the intent of my remarks."

Okyere added, "There are always a few people who want to attack without any willingness to have a dialogue, wherever you go," and "As their voices grew louder, the controversy escalated."

He also revealed, "When I was in college, I was almost the only Black person, but recently the number of students from the African continent has greatly increased," and "There are many countries in Africa, but Koreans do not know much about these differences, so I entered the entertainment industry to reduce this distance."

Regarding the criticism that he demeaned East Asians by making slanted eye gestures in a past broadcast after the racial discrimination controversy, he said, "I was talking about Spain's 'Ugly Face Contest' and tried to distort my face as much as possible," adding, "I live in Korea and had no intention to demean Koreans."