Sam Okyere: Foreign K-Drama Actor Of ‘Moorim School’ Opens Up About Racism In Korea And His Nickname ‘Black Hyung’
When Hallyu or the Korean Wave was initiated, it opened many opportunities for South Korea to expand their culture as a global entity. This is especially true for their entertainment in which Korean music, Korean television, and Korean movies are now sought out around the world. However, it provided opportunities for many Asians, especially those who are Korean, to gain the traction to become a globally-recognized musician or actor given that such opportunities were unavailable where they lived due to stereotypes. This is especially true for American entertainment.
However, becoming a popular Hallyu star has grown to a point that it is no longer just Asians around the world wanting to become one, but many other people who are not of Asian ethnicity. We can see that happening right now. In K-pop, DR Music signed on the first African-American for a K-pop girl group, Alexandra Reid, as a member of Rania. Eventually, she became the new leader when they repackaged themselves as BP Rania. In K-variety shows, Sam Hammington is one of the most popular comedians on such shows, especially on Real Men. He is from Australia.
The one foreign Hallyu star who is gaining the most attention in K-dramas if not the most attention in general among all foreign stars in Hallyu, is Sam Okyere. The K-drama and K-movie actor who hails from Ghana has found his calling in South Korea, but he still has to deal with racism. Recently, Sam Okyere opened up about said racism in the country which includes his nickname “Black Hyung.”
Sam Okyere, who is an actor in K-movies and K-dramas and entertainer on K-variety shows, opened up about his life as a Black man living in South Korea. According to AllKpop, he expressed his concerns on the talk show As You Say.
“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 color.”
“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.”
To be fair, being unknowledgeable about a subject and asking in an honest way without the purpose to be insulting is not bad on its own. Pertaining to this matter, Koreans asking Sam Okyere questions about Africans owning lions is racist, but without the intention to be insulting. Some, on the other hand, have expressed insulting intent towards him in a racist fashion. Okyere details one such incident on a bus with an “ahjumma.”
“I tried to sit in an empty seat and an ahjumma (middle-aged woman) took the seat, outrightly 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.”
Finally, Sam Okyere expressed his discomfort for the nickname he has earned. He is considered an “older brother” among young male K-drama actors, but the fact he is a Black man is tacked on too.
“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 color.”
Sam Okyere’s issues are probably more debilitating simply because he is a Black man, but the situation can be linked to almost all foreigners who live in South Korea or any Asian country for that matter. As mentioned earlier, though, Hallyu is learning to accept and understand foreigners especially those in entertainment. Moorim School, a K-drama that aired early 2016, was probably a sign of such steps in which the majority of the supporting cast were non-Koreans which included Sam Okyere.
For fans of Sam Okyere who want to show their support for him as well as all other foreign actors in Korea, it is best to check out his last K-drama, Moorim School. The entire series is available to view on DramaFever, Viki, or OnDemandKorea. Fans can also check out Okyere’s first K-drama, Warm and Cozy, on Viki and OnDemandKorea. It is also available on DramaFever by its other title, Jeju Island Gatsby.
On a side note, Sam Okyere’s surprise appearance in Warm and Cozy is what made him very popular in South Korea presently. MBC provided a special clip of Okyere’s first appearance in their 2015 K-drama.
[Featured Image by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)]
