In March of last year, it was revealed belatedly that Sam Okyere agreed to sexual jokes directed at a female celebrity, sparking controversy. Photo by Sam Okyere Instagram capture.
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Sam Okyere, who recently became the center of controversy for criticizing high school students parodying the Coffin Dance as blackface, has once again been embroiled in controversy. It was revealed late that Sam Okyere agreed to sexual jokes directed at female celebrities.
Earlier, in March last year, Sam Okyere posted a photo with actress Park Eun-hye on his Instagram, saying, "Noona, we are Orange Caramel."
The controversy arose from Sam Okyere's response to a netizen's comment, "Cute once you go black you never go back," which is used in the English-speaking world to imply that women who have had sexual relations with black men find it difficult to be with other races.
Sam Okyere replied to the comment with "preach." While 'preach' literally means 'to deliver a sermon (at a church gathering),' it is also used to express agreement with someone's statement. Not only did he agree to the sexual remarks directed at a female celebrity, but it was also revealed that he casually responded to a vulgar joke about 'black people,' whom he recently expressed discomfort about, leading to intensified criticism against him.
Netizens who saw the post criticized him, saying, "Typical double standards," "Agreeing to a sentence that should never be used for Park Eun-hye or any other woman," "Does this mean black certification for this kind of meaning?" and "This is exactly Okyere's gender sensitivity."
Meanwhile, on the 13th (local time), Sam Okyere explained in an interview with the BBC regarding his criticism of the Coffin Dance parody, saying, "I wanted to clarify that blackface has a historical context that many black people and multicultural countries avoid."
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