Sam Okyere (pictured), a Ghanaian TV personality, formally apologized after igniting criticism when he expressed his discomfort over Korean students impersonating black characters. Okyere criticized the students of racial discrimination, but the public found his assessment of the students, who took the pictures for fun, to be excessive. But many people also argued that Okyere’s apology showed how prevalent racial discrimination was in South Korean society.

The controversy started when students of Uijeongbu High School posted their graduation photo, a parody of the Coffin Dance, on August 3. The Coffin Dance was a video of pallbearers bearing a coffin at a Ghanaian funeral. The students disguised themselves as the pallbearers, painting their faces black. On August 6, Okyere wrote on his Instagram account that the blackface was very unpleasant from a black person’s perspective.

His post soon attracted comments criticizing Okyere, such as “They only painted their faces black, because the skin color of black people is black. What is so uncomfortable about that?” and “If you had gone to another country, you might have earned some money working in a factory. Are you lecturing us, just because you became famous in South Korea?”

The people online also mentioned the fact that Okyere posted the picture of the students without blurring their faces and that he had made a slant-eye, a racist gesture offensive to Asians, in a past TV show. The next day on August 7, Okyere wrote on Instagram that he had no intention to disparage the students and explained that he was only trying to express his opinion. Eventually, he apologized saying that he had gone too far.

There is a historical context to the discomfort black people feel about the blackface. The white performers on minstrel shows, popular American comedy skits in the mid nineteenth century, put on a blackface and performed exaggerated song and dance routines comically depicting Black slaves. Last year, in the article, “Why Blackface Is Offensive,” CNN wrote, “Presenting enslaved Africans as the butt of jokes desensitized white Americans to the horrors of slavery. The performances also promoted demeaning stereotypes of black people….” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also apologized for having put on a blackface in a past event.

Experts argued that the attacks on Okyere revealed the low level of awareness on racial discrimination in South Korean society. Sociologist Oh Chan-ho said, “It was okay when Okyere behaved within a scope accepted by Koreans, but when he didn’t, it triggered public criticism. Behind such responses is the benefactor perspective, through which we see Okyere.” Critic Son Hee-jung also said, “Even if Okyere made a racially discriminatory comment in the past, that is something Okyere should reflect on. It cannot be used to justify the blackface.”

After Okyere’s apology, the hashtag, #I_Stand_in_Solidarity_with_Sam_Okyere appeared on social media. One person shared this hashtag and wrote, “The fact that a person has to apologize for pointing out a clear error is an embarrassing image of South Korea, which we are so proud of.”