K-Pop Star Subjected To Blatant Racism In The United States

A K-Pop star revealed he has been subjected to racism during different phases of his life while in the United States.

On October 21st, the YouTube channel YouTube Ha Ji Young released a video titled “Eric Nam: From retirement rumors to discrimination including spitting on his face.”

When asked about the retirement rumors, Eric Nam said, “No. It’s a misunderstanding. It’s a misconception.”

Showing his activities in the United States, he revealed, “When I went to the United States, I often heard things like ‘Asians aren’t accepted yet,’ or from Hollywood agencies, ‘Asians aren’t cool,’ ‘not stylish,’ ‘not sexy.’ The only Asian person who was not me told me, ‘Sorry, but you can’t.’”

He added, “That person has also been in this business a long time, so it was a bit sad and made me angry to feel this way. I can’t change it alone, but I thought I should at least try to be a source of strength.”

He also shared past experiences of racial discrimination. “Thankfully, my parents sent me to a private school. When I went, all the kids were from wealthy families. Our family wasn’t poor, but we weren’t wealthy either. The world they lived in was different from mine,” he said. “I was the only Asian American. I was often teased, and some kids even spat in my face. They frequently made slant-eye gestures, too.“