Han Ye-seul, Yoona, Stray Kids, Park Jun-hyung: Stars Who Faced Racism When Abroad

Han Ye-seul is currently enjoying her honeymoon in Italy after announcing her marriage with her non-celebrity husband, who is 10 years younger than her. On May 28, Han expressed her anger on her social media account, saying she was racially discriminated during her honeymoon.

Han Ye-seul said, “I experienced discrimination at the Hotel Splendido in Portofino Belmond, Italy, and I felt really bad about it. They put me in a seat other than the beach seat I booked without any explanation or apology.” “The hotel staff confirmed my reservation after learning that I was a hotel guest. I thought they did it to me because the seats were full, but they weren’t even full,” she added. “I was only able to use Dior Terrace after complaining about the discrimination.” After the post was posted, some Italian fans have apologized for Han Ye-seul’s experience of unpleasant racism.

Yoona, a member of Girls’ Generation, has also faced racial discrimination while abroad recently. On May 26th (local time), Yoona attended the 77th Cannes International Film Festival. A female bodyguard who was in charge of the festival’s red carpet blocked Yoona from posing on the stairs. Unlike when she saw white celebrities, the bodyguard urged only celebrities of color to enter quickly, sparking suspicions of racism. In the video released online, Yoona was trying to pose for reporters on the red carpet, but the bodyguard blocked Yoona with her arm. In response, Yoona only greeted the reporters with a hand gesture.

A local media outlet wrote, “(Yoona) didn’t express it outwardly, but her expression showed that she seemed to be noticeably uncomfortable. She went inside quietly without overreacting,” drawing criticism from many fans in Korea and abroad.

Stray Kids attended the “2024 Met Gala” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on May 6th (local time). The members attended the Met Gala as global ambassadors for the brand Tommy Hilfiger. Racism controversy erupted when some paparazzi’s comments on the red carpet of Stray Kids were heard in a video that went viral online. A foreign fan posted a video of Stray Kids on social media, saying, “I didn’t watch the whole video, but I was completely shocked.” The paparazzi in the video did not hesitate to make rude remarks such as “I’ve never seen so many emotional faces in my life,” “They are robots,” “Everybody jump,” and “Arigato” toward Stray Kids. Afterwards, leader Bang Chan clapped his hands to attract the attention of other members and they left.

In response, netizens left comments saying, “It’s rude,” “This is obvious racism,” and “Aren’t they ashamed?” and as the controversy intensified, the paparazzis who made the racist remarks turned their social network service account to private.

Park Joon-hyung, a member of the group god, also faced racism during a schedule in Brussels, Belgium. On September 24, 2017, Park Joon-hyung drew attention by making a lengthy post along on his social media account. The video he posted along with the post was part of an episode of JTBC’s “Looking for Trouble,” which aired around the same time. It showed Park Joon-hyung and the cast walking around late at night to find accommodation. In the video, several locals approached Park Joon-hyung, making gestures of disparaging and mocking Asians by touching parts of Park Jun-hyung’s body with their legs.

“I’m sorry to make many people worry when watching this scene,” Park Jun-hyung said. “I was surprised at first because it was a situation that no one expected.” “I was even more surprised because it was late at night and it happened on the way to the last place,” he said. “Fortunately, the staff and guards came and we stopped it before things got bigger.” He also added, “No one is born bad, only the situation makes people bad.”