Television personality Sam Okyere, famous for being a cast member on the JTBC talk show "Non-Summit," claims Korean citizens are racist. During a recent taping for the talk show, "As You Say," the entertainer opened up about the racist encounters he has faced in South Korea as an African man.
Okyere started off by saying that ever since he started learning Korean after moving to South Korea, the word 'Woori,' which means 'We,' has been his most favorite word. However, the entertainer said he was not sure whether the term applied to a person of color like himself.
He then talked about the racist discrimination he often faces in the country. "When I tell people that I'm from Africa, I get a lot of startling questions like, 'Do you grow a lion at your house?" he said on the talk show. "I get it so often that now I just respond by saying that my father has two lions. That's how much Koreans are unknowledgeable about Black people and Africa."
The TV personality then recalled a racist encounter he faced on the subway with a middle-aged woman. He said that just as he was about to take a seat on the train, the woman blatantly called him a "black thing" and asked him to go back to his country. Okyere added that the incident was upsetting and what hurt him more was that other Korean people just sat there and watched on without uttering a word.
He also noted that Koreans refer to him as "Black Hyung," which is a nickname he is not comfortable with. The entertainer said he wanted people to call him Okyere hyung or Okyere dongsaeng or just Okyere without referring to the color of his skin.
The Ghana-born star came to South Korea in 2009 after enrolling himself in a government program that allowed foreign students to learn computer engineering. Instead of returning home to Ghana, the entertainer decided to stay in South Korea after becoming fascinated with the Korean culture, according to Drama Fever.
After making an appearance on the show "Hello Counselor," Okyere found several opportunities in Korea's entertainment industry. The TV personality has since featured on shows like "Warm and Cozy," which is also known as "Jeju Island Gatsby" and has appeared on several Korean variety shows including, "SNL Korea," "Real Men," "Happy Together," and "Masterchef Korea," as KDramaStars pointed out.
Watch Okeyere's appearance on "Happy Together" in the video below: