The dangerously problematic world of K-pop

Being a K-pop fan was the defining event of my adolescence. When I kept hearing Korean phrases and songs from one of my classmates in primary school, I became curious and wanted to see this phenomenon for myself. To say I was immediately hooked would be an understatement. I was a major fan and Koreaboo, doing the dances, choosing a bias, and getting another of my friends into it too. However, like most things, it started to feel repetitive, and I stopped listening to it much. I wouldn't deny the impact it still had on me; after all, I was still a very devoted stan of many groups. However, as I started to get older, that fantasy quickly died, and reality began to sink in. The more I stopped listening to K-pop, the more the rose-coloured glasses slipped from my sight, revealing the music genre in a much darker light, which made me question the authenticity of not only the music but the people as well.

I came to this very conclusion when 'Pink Venom' dropped. The song and album disappointed me. I was a major Blackpink fan, and they were what got me into the genre in the first place. It didn't meet my expectations for them at all, and you could probably guess how my blink self was beyond taken aback. But despite this, it still grew on me, and I learned to love it. Again, I was a major fan of Blackpink. They were the girl group of K-pop and were my comfort group for a long time, so I decided to let it slide; who doesn't have their bad songs, right? 

Little did I know that what would make me sever my support for Blackpink, and for K-pop overall later on, was not because of the songs, but because of how deeply racist and inauthentic these Korean celebrities are. This shift in my reality started when someone from Twitter exposed 3/4 of the Blackpink members repeatedly saying the N-word in songs in their auditions. If I'm not mistaken, an ex-coworker who worked under the group and exposed them released this footage. Along with them, they also explicitly mocked Desi culture. When this came out, many blinks came to their defence: "They didn't know it was bad!" "It was a long time ago!" "They grew up and changed!" These excuses almost won me over, to be honest, because the obsessive K-pop fan in me didn't want to accept that my idols would stoop so low that the people I looked up to for most of my adolescence were the ones who saw me and my skin colour as insignificant.

But as I was starting to become a more political and aware person, I knew that those excuses were not only weak but awfully pathetic, because these girls at that time were all 18 or older, so they knew right from wrong, not to mention that Rose grew up in Australia and Jennie grew up in New Zealand, both countries heavily influenced by Western culture and etiquette. Not to mention that they actually were allowed to choose the songs they wanted; it shouldn't be lost on them that the only people saying the n-slur are black people, so what made them think they could say it? It baffles me that fans still try to downplay this and say it was a long time ago and that they were young, basically coddling them like children. But this is the reality: Racism doesn't expire. Just because it was a long time ago doesn't mean they changed those views. We don't know these people or their views and intentions; what you see is a front, a fictional character made to appease a vision for fame and people who don't have a sense of awareness. And the fact that the members have yet to apologise and hold themselves accountable says more than enough.

With becoming more educated on racism and learning to be less passive, I finally threw in the towel and stopped listening to Blackpink. But little did I know that going from a fan to a hater would lead to me opening up a can of worms of even more idols being prone to having internalised racism against other people of colour, from disrespecting and mocking POC culture, to making cheap replicas and appropriating black music and culture to profit off of, and associating themselves with bigoted symbols. 

!(Disclaimer: The sources I will put out today will mostly be from Reddit or other social media apps for visual references)!

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Bts:

In 2018, Bts had this weird obsession with Nazi Germany motifs, such as Namjoon(RM) wearing an SS hat, the group posting a photoshoot at a memorial, and even making a concert where they held up flags that looked dangerously close to the nazi flag; the costumes they wore also played into that theme.

• https://www.reddit.com/r/trashy/comments/7cosby/kpop_boyband_bts_holocaust_photoshoot/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/BTSnark/comments/1ui4m88/an_influencer_calling_out_bts_on_doing_a/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cIlPIVL5G8(skip to 6:00)

Jimin also wore a T-shirt depicting the US atomic bomb that they used on Japan that killed thousands of people, and putting positive words like "Patriotism", "Liberation" and "Our History", which isn't something to be seen in a good light or to be proud of.

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-46204594

They have also been seen saying the n-word multiple times and constantly referencing colourist messages and phrases, such as RM being colourist to the members and Jimin calling Jungkook a colourist derogatory term. 

• https://www.reddit.com/r/BTSnark/comments/1m06rws/rm_calling_his_members_too_dark_to_see/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/kpoptrulyuncensored/comments/1t80ny5/jimin_saying_kkamdoongie/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/BTSnark/comments/1manelc/taehyung_saying_the_n_word_in_his_livestream/?logging_in=true
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHP6d-nGA14&t=119s(skip to 2:00)

And before the armies come and say this was a long time ago and isn't relevant anymore, they haven't changed these views in the slightest, and their album "Arirang" is full-on proof of that. They completely whitewashed Black and Korean culture in their teaser, with more white people than black people shown despite them being in an HBCU, when true history shows that the people who accepted the Koreans when they were fleeing prosectution was black people. 

If you want to know more about this part of US-Korean history, here are some references you can look into.

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arirang
• https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/bts-how-howard-university-helped-elevate-korean-culture-and-how-black-culture-influenced-k-pop

Besides the mediocre songs, even some of their lyrics in the song are just watered-down AAVE: "Burning out with my slime", "Whatchu need twin", "Why this baseline slappin so rude". These lyrics not only bastardise AAVE, but most of them also aren't used in the right context. This shows that these people have never changed their ignorance or racial biases, and won't do anything to deconstruct that anytime soon.

G-Dragon:

G-Dragon is the most respected idol in the industry so far; most see him as a legend, and many also know him as the king of pop. But what people don't usually see is how racist he truly is.

One instance we can look at is how he wore a shirt with a Dutch word that translates to the N-slur, along with a racist caricature on the front of his shirt as well. The worst part of this is that he wore the same shirt years ago and still wore it at his recent concert. After all those years of being around black and Western celebrities, having the chance to gain media literacy and learn how these things are heavily problematic and discriminatory, he still decides to wear that attire proudly. This proves that G-Dragon has always been racist, and those bigoted views have always stuck with him throughout his career.

• https://www.reddit.com/r/ChikaPH/comments/1t3xxyu/gdragon_in_2026_wearing_a_racist_shirt_that_he/
• https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/g-dragon-agency-apologizes-shirt-racial-slur-1236238161/
• https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/g-dragons-agency-issues-apology-over-t-shirt-bearing-slur-at-macau-concert/12590999

To no one's surprise, he also says the N-slur on a TV show. You'd think being a celebrity and copying Western culture would give you more knowledge on racism, but it seems like that's a lesson many idols like to skip.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spYAOuQbGxE

To add even more salt to his bigoted roster, he also "dressed up" as black artist and rapper Andre 3000 by doing blackface.

• https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/391953973792735190/
• https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/424323596114541279/

It's really ironic how the so-called "King of K-pop" is so glorified and worshipped in the K-pop world, yet he is so blind and oblivious to how bigoted his actions are. This makes sense since he is practically the OG and the father of K-pop, and explains why K-pop idols before him also display anti-blackness and racial ignorance. It's almost like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

Twice

Unfortunately, Twice is part of this too. I'm really disappointed, considering they were my second favourite group of all time, but the things they condoned and displayed completely threw me off and made me stop listening to their music altogether.

I found an entire thread with proof that documents them mocking native culture, desis, appropriating cornrows, dancing with a mosque background, and even one of the members being caught wearing fascist shirts twice (pun unintended)

• https://x.com/Kpop_Receiptz/status/1056688849483689988

As we can see here, the next people on the chopping block for these bigoted celebrities are Desis, Native Americans, and the mocking of South-West Asian culture altogether. This is even more interesting when you consider the fact that Twice is a generally respected group and doesn't have that much of a hate train compared to BP and BTS; their cute, girly aesthetic is one of the reasons they usually get off the hook and are seen as innocent.

Twice fans are usually the ones to criticise other groups like BTS and Blackpink for being discriminatory. But in reality, Twice does the same thing to other Asian cultures. With one of the members even displaying and promoting fascist symbols and movements, which puts them on the same level as BTS when it comes to constantly flaunting deeply problematic groups like the N*zis and QAnon.

For quick context, QAnon is basically a far-right group from 4chan that believes in the conspiracy of Donald up fighting against Satanists and elites who run a global trafficking ring. (Although not only is Trump one of the elites, but was also seen with Epstein and was mentioned in the Epstein files more than 

This means that K-pop idols like Twice not only disrespect South Asians but also popularise and promote extreme groups. This lack of awareness is awfully embarrassing, especially when you have a large Western audience. They are supposed to know what to wear and what not to wear, right? The average person may not know what QAnon is, but the fact that one of them put them on blast, putting these people on display to give them more popularity they don't deserve, is not only problematic but extremely dangerous for people or minors who could fall into that pipeline.

Kiss of Life

KOF's controversy was the most audacious in recent years, when they made a whole livestream appropriating and displaying black and Latina stereotypes for one of the members' birthdays.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAPCRqtzLY4
  

Many people might try to defend this, but the fact that they released 'K Bye' after this controversy basically insinuates that they don't care about how people might feel about what they have done and insult to injury when trying to show remorse for their actions.

And this isn't even touching the iceberg of the racism that so many K-pop idols show in the media; if I were to show the number of idols who have either appropriated cultures or displayed discriminatory actions, the blog would never end. So I challenge you to find a random K-pop group and see if you can find anything they've done, but I'm sure that wouldn't be that hard to do.

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For a long time, I always wondered how and why these major celebrities get away with doing so many audacious actions, how they still have support and fame despite it completely corrupting them to the point that they can get away with glorifying atrocities. But not only are the idols themselves at fault, but their devoted fans are a major element in this 

K-pop fans are usually children, minors who are mostly 18 or younger. Therefore, they do not know, or cannot comprehend, how problematic these things can be. In fact, they usually defend that by trying to say they apologise or that they didn't mean it, but these are grown-ass people we're talking about. These idols are 25 or older, and they all cater to the West, especially America, so they know that their racial biases and ignorance aren't ok. People never hold them accountable for not knowing the simple etiquette of their status because whenever they do face accountability, people treat them like innocent kids who know nothing about the world. 

These fans are so hooked on these characters that they can't accept the fact that these people are still humans, humans that are very prone to showing anti-blackness and hate because not only are they ignorant of it, but they also get away with it, That's why BTS is so comfortable appropriating black culture, or why G-Dragon had the confidence to wear that racist shirt again because they know that these people worship them and see no wrongdoing. In reality, they still have those rose-coloured glasses I used to wear when I was just like them.

When you show a K-pop fan something that their idols have done, you're ultimately asking children to recognise the racism that they're already grown idols constantly display, which is almost impossible since they have yet to learn how deeply rooted this problem goes, and how their idols are the opposite of these cute, innocent beings. This is one of the reasons K-pop stans ignore bigotry; however, it will never be an excuse. Even if you're a minor, you should still educate yourself on political matters like this, but the unfortunate reality for these people is that the more they learn about it, the more they'll stray away from these K-pop groups and will eventually have to accept that these idols aren't what they think they are. So it's either they go down the route of reason or keep playing in this fantasy of their beloved idol and adopting their bigoted behaviour, and unfortunately, they will not take the high road anytime soon, and in the worst-case scenario, they will be just as racist as them. Once again, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

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some of what you’re saying is spot on and people should be aware, but i hesitate to say 18 is a full grown adult and i definitely draw the line at saying someone “likely” harbors the same views at 26 that they did fresh out of high school. i was a transphobe at age 18 and figured out i was genderfluid by age 23. you’ll be surprised how different you are already once you hit your mid-20s. in the case of the above things may not have changed over the years but be mindful of applying this view to everyone you meet.

not sure if this applies to the above, but it’s worth mentioning that in japan, nazty uniform aesthetics and motifs are often merged into popular culture not just by horrible people but by youth culture who want to recontextualize it to take it away from the bad guys. (or by artists depicting it on bad guys, ie stroheim in jjba) korean pop culture is very informed by japanese pop culture in lots of ways and sometimes important cultural context is lost in translation.

I'm so glad people are saying this and you've raised so many good points. The amount of fascist dogwhistles and genuine disrespect for other cultures in KPOP groups, intentional or not, is genuinely concerning. Music execs and image consultants aren't dumb either, they should know better (whats the chance that they're simply letting this continue to start controversy and get attention and focus on their stars?). The whole industry just kinda... sucks. It's nowhere near as clean and friendly as some fans insist it is.

It's disgusting that celebrities in all sorts of industries seem to be normalizing hate symbols right now. Obviously you've mentioned KPOP, but I also kinda thought about how much of a following Taylor Swift still has despite her connections to fascists and her blatant disregard for the world around her. These people don't care - when tf are people gonna start realising this

Agreed on all the points. It's very apparent nowadays how many kpop fans don't do their research into this topic and act like we're being antis when we just want ppl to be educated on the true history behind kpop.

If we go bk all the way to 1st gen, early kpop was lit founded on stealing black culture while making fun of them, and it was very common of them to do blackface on variety shows. This is why the position of rapper is still a thing even in 5th gen, and why the kpop sound sounds the way it is. Even worse is that even until now no one has been properly educating these ppl, some of them being YOUNG CHILDREN, on how harmful these ideologies are, because it's the companies reinforcing it or enabling them to participate in it for profit.

Not saying that no one should support kpop idols or artists at all even after knowing this, cuz some have deviated entirely to make their own unique creative vision and some are genuinely ppl who want to make good music. But it's important to be aware of how this industry was made and how some of these groups and ppl hv been and are still profiting off of black culture. Regardless of who you are (idol, group, staff, etc), if you're actively working in the kpop industry, you're automatically complicit. And the same goes to those who stan - it's just that it's much better to be educated about it and spread that awareness to others as much as possible rather than staying ignorant.

I wish ppl would look at these issues with more nuance instead of blindly defending or ignoring the constant controversies that have been going on. But unfortunately, I don't see the attitude of the general rose tinted eyed kpop stan changing anytime soon. It's all a popularity contest nowadays and you can't even give constructive criticism without ppl sending you death threats. Most stans are becoming as toxic as the industry they've given their lives to be a part of - the industry doesn't care about changing because the average kpop stan doesn't care about actual change in the industry - and it's just rlly pathetic to see. Because most of those same stans already know that the quality of kpop is degrading, they just don't realise how much they're contributing to it too by stripping away all the fun and enjoyment of it from everyone else.

Also, as a former VIP and ARMY, this is part of the reason why I've unstanned those groups, even tho BIGBANG was the group that brought me into knowing about kpop. And why I've also been dropping out of being a kpop stan as a whole for the most part. I've been a kpop stan for 14 years now and it's genuinely given me some happy moments and helped me get through tough times, but it no longer has the same effect as it once did. I still actively stan some groups such as ZB1, SVT, and XLOV who are doing great things with their music and content rn. But otherwise, once those 3 groups decide they no longer want to be in the industry anymore, then I'm out too.

P.S. Wanted to add another example to your list which is Mamamoo, who've done blackface and which you can still find clips of it on YouTube. Had to unstan them as well because of that, even tho they have one of the best discographies amongst girl groups in the entire industry.

P.S.S. Also wanted to elaborate on what I mean when I say all of them are complicit. I don't want to sit here and pretend the groups I actively stan are innocent and can do no wrong. XLOV and SVT utilise rap and hip hop elements in their work - that didn't just come out of the sky, that comes from the traditional kpop formula that's been established since 2nd gen until now. ZB1 is the same - my bias Matthew likes listening to R&B a lot and I'm pretty sure WAKEONE likes keeping him on because he brings that specific R&B vocal tone when they record, Gunwook has given a Chris Brown song in the past as his favourite song and the only saving grace for him rn is the fact that like most other kpop idols they rnt doing their political research (I only found out what Chris Brown did like last year purely by chance cuz I saw a reel on it, and I only found out this year how long ago it was which was 2009, that's why I have to give him some benefit of doubt). There is NO ONE in the kpop industry rn who isn't complicit in its racism, regardless of whether they know it or not. But there's no point in trying to blame and attack each individual idol, group, staff, or company. Because it's a SYSTEMIC issue - you have to call out ALL of them.