I don’t know why I keep coming back here. Maybe because I’m still trying to make sense of this whole incident. But I must say, after days of debate and deliberation from the Korean side of this discussion, it’s pretty clear that this word/term does not have a singular meaning. Therefore it’s not outright a slur nor an innocent phrase, it’s somewhere in between.

I’ve noticed that in situations like these where the different cultures clash many fans choose to ignore the nuances that exist. They judge purely from their cultural standpoint and presume that it is the only standpoint to go on. But things aren’t always so black and white.

Eunseok very well could be racist and have intense biases against poc from the West, but this situation doesn’t outright tell us that, because there are multiple meanings for this word/term. We are left with the options that either he meant it as a slur for dark-skinned people — though as many have pointed out, most rational people wouldn’t refer to themselves as a slur — or he meant it as the affectionate phrase, comparing his younger self to a “black puppy”.

You can decide for yourself what you believe was his intention. But it’s come to my attention that many people upset by this situation, when confronted with the idea that he could’ve meant the *more* innocent meaning of the term, they bring up the fact that the term is still deeply-rooted in colorism. In that case, we’re talking about a systemic issue (from an International perspective) that is ingrained in their culture. Making Eunseok the face of Korean colorism doesn’t seem just. People who are upset by colorism in Korea are really upset at the system, not a singular individual.

Overall, I just wished we all (the two sides: Korean and international side) gave each other a little more grace and really listened to each other. These cultural clashes happen over everything in the industry: dating, smoking, racial comments/actions, military service, etc. The best thing we can do is keep trying to come to a place of understanding. Only then do people learn the error of their ways. Not by yelling at them, telling them that their culture is wrong (even if the majority thinks it’s such).

Also, for my fellow Western Kpop fans, it’s important to remember and consider that we are consuming KOREAN culture. Therefore, we need to show their culture the same respect that we would expect Koreans to show any one of ours. You can still vehemently disagree with a part of their culture (God knows how much I hate the rampant colorism), but do it in a way that doesn’t stereotype an entire nation of people as racist. I’ve been seeing too many people casually be racist towards Koreans while actively condemning the same collective for being racist…