As K-Pop and Korean entertainment as a whole seek to enter a global market, the need for cultural sensitivity education becomes more readily apparent. Each time there is an instance of racial or now religious insensitivity, artists and their labels barely address the concerns of fans. Quite often lukewarm apologies are issued, leaving cultural critics to await the next egregious misstep. There is an overwhelming amount of sadness and anger expressed by Muslim fans, in response to CL and the song MTBD. While the sampled recording of a reading from the Quran may not be offensive to many Koreans or Westerners, it was received with great offense by Muslims.

It is easy to minimize the fact that Muslim fans are upset in this instance by pointing out the most extreme internet comments that hint at supposed death threats. Such actions create a situation in which those within the industry and other fans can continue to ignore what amounts to be cultural appropriation for the sake of coolness without knowledge of the actual culture. As upset fans pointed out in comments on the initial Kpopstarz article, there is a sizable population of Muslim K-Pop fans in Malaysia. Due to the interest in K-Pop, Malaysia has hosted numerous tours, festivals, and was home to the 2013 Golden Disk Awards.

Islam is the state religion of Malaysia which holds one of the largest Muslim populations in Southeast Asia. While that detail may appear to be insignificant, Malaysia was one of the first designated locations for 2NE1's 2014 World Tour All Or Nothing. Tickets for their May performance went on sale on March 9 with prices ranging from approximately $60 U.S. dollars to $180 U.S. dollars.

In a study published earlier this year by the Korea Foundation, K-Pop currently appeals to an audience of an estimated 9.3 million fans worldwide.  This reach extends past Asia and is being received by fans in the Middle East and Africa.  In 2013, K-Pop saw a 40% increase in global fans which is reflected through increased media attention and the increase of stock prices for agencies such as YG Entertainment on the KOSDAQ or Korean stock exchange board.

YG Entertainment was faced by a similar controversy in 2013 when G-Dragon posted a blackface selca on social media.  As the photo began to draw criticism, the artist pointed out that he was in blackface for the filming of his music video.  The immediacy of his explanation could have been attributed to the fact that at the time G-Dragon was about to release the album Coup D'Etat which featured contributions from international artists including Black American hip hop artist Missy Elliot.  In addition, G-Dragon was slated to perform in the United States following the selca controversy.

If non-Koreans (and this extends to other populations throughout Asia), learn more aspects of Korean culture in addition to what is found in K-Pop and K-Drama, why does the industry find it so difficult to identity with the rest of the world? While Korean entertainers and their agencies are quick to deny knowledge of the fact that something is offensive, they are often slow to apologize. At the point of release for this article, YG Entertainment has not issued an official apology, which is distressing to someone like myself who greatly respects the work of YG artists. Instead, the agency is promoting the upcoming Skrillex release Dirty Vibe which features CL and G-Dragon. This is quite ironic considering that such a release celebrates the globalization of K-Pop.

The above image from The Baddest Female represents what could be construed from a Western perspective, as Latin-style gang attire.  While it was utilized in the video for effect, it is a visual representation of the degredation of Latino culture.  I am not Muslim nor am I Asian.  As a consumer and critic of Korean entertainment who is a Black Peruvian American, there have been numerous occasions in which I have found either a music video or variety show to be culturally insensitive. It is out of my respect for CL as an artist, that I believe YG Entertainment should issue an apology or explanation about its questionable sampling in MTBD before further alienating more of its fans and removing opportunities to perform in markets such as Malaysia.