Sam Okyere Speaks About Racism He Faces On Talk Show 'As You Say'


Sam Okyere born in Ghana who is now an entertainer in South Korea shared about his life there as a black man during a talk show 'As you say'.

The 24 year old artist who stands out on Korean TV shows because of his race and skin colour spoke up about the racism in the country and said, "The Korean word that I loved the most since I started learning Korean after coming to South Korea in 2009 was 'Woori' (meaning 'We'). But I wonder if 'woori' applies to someone like me of colour." He added: "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?' 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" as reported in ibtimes.

He also recalled another racist moment Sam had to face which he explained, "I tried to sit in an empty seat and an ahjumma (middle-aged woman) took the seat, out rightly discriminating against me by saying, 'What is a black thing doing here in Korea? Go back to your country'. What hurt more was that the other Korean people just sat there and watched. It made me wonder if Koreans just watch foreigners without helping them in difficult situations." 

Sam Okyere also revealed about the discomfort he feels at the common nickname he is called by. He said, "Often, people in Korea call me 'Black Hyung'. I want people to call me Okyere hyung comfortably, or Okyere dongsaeng, or just Okyere without referring to my skin colour."

According to blackinkorea, Sam Okyere is considered as the most famous Black Man in South Korean entertainment world.

Sam came to Korea to become a computer engineer but today he is a very well-known face in Korean industry.

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