Sam Okyere apologizes for racial discrimination + sexual harassment controversies…”I feel sorry”

Broadcaster Sam Okyere bowed his head again to apologize for the controversy over racial discrimination in the past.

Sam Okyere returned on TV for the first time after a long hiatus due to controversies through Channel S’s program “Attack on Sisters” broadcast on February 21st.

Earlier in 2020, Sam Okyere criticized some Korean high school students for using Blackface in graduation photos. However, he later used the hashtag “teakpop” to disparage K-pop and was found to have made an impolite gesture towards Asians in a past broadcast, leading to a public backlash.

After disappearing from broadcasts for about two years, Sam Okyere made his first appearance on TV. He said, “Before I start my talk, I would like to apologize to everyone. I’m sorry that I disappointed people who liked and supported me. I want to deliver my sincere apology to them”.

He continued, “I didn’t think carefully about the high school students who made the parody using Blackface. I forgot to cover their faces but I didn’t mean to look down on them. I couldn’t realize the situation”, adding “I posted an apology at that time, but I think I made people even angrier. Since the responses were not good, I was going to make a proper apology. However, people around me told me to stay silent because I could be misunderstood for no reason if I said something wrong. Then things became more serious”.

Sam Okyere explained, “I made a frowning face on a show and people thought I was looking down on Asians. They said, ‘You disparaged Asians, so why are criticizing those students?’”, adding “I also pressed ‘like’ on a comment with a sexual meaning five years ago. In fact, I didn’t have that thought. I didn’t mean anything when pressing the ‘like’ button, but I understand that other people can think like that in their point of view”.

He confessed, “I got a call from the Ghana embassy. They asked why a person like me was still in Korea. They said they would send me back to Ghana. To be honest, I did something wrong and I should accept the curses and malicious comments”, adding “During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, I saw lots of swear words on SNS after the match between South Korea and Ghana”.

Sam Okyere later revealed all of his jobs got canceled. Later, he became a lecturer but couldn’t continue working due to someone’s report. He said, “I saw a comment under a volunteer content that said, ‘If you’re sincere, go to the salt farm. You’ll be accepted’. I went there but the response was still negative.”

Recalling the serious situation at that time, Sam Okyere said, “I wondered who I was. I thought I was a criminal. I was very scared of going out and meeting people. I just wanted to stay home and keep sleeping. It is because I can’t think of anything when I sleep”.

When asked, “Do you hate Korea?”, he said, “If I don’t like Korea, I won’t stay here. I want to live in Korea. I love Korea. Korean people are also very nice. I have lots of Korean friends. The old women at restaurants are very kind to me. I learned about warmness after coming to Korea”, expressing his true feelings.

He confessed, “I’ve lived in Korea for 13 years, but I realized that I still don’t know much about Korean society. We shouldn’t say anything without thinking. We should think once, and twice and ask people around. That’s the most important thing”, adding “I was so thoughtless back then. I should have apologized for not covering their face. I wish I had a chance to talk to those friends. I’m so sorry”.

Source: wikitree