The frontrunner to be South
Korea’s next president has
apologised after sparking a
public uproar for jokingly
likening the skin colour of an
African student to coal.
Kim Moo-Sung, the leader of the
country’s ruling conservative
Saenuri Party and the leader in
polling ahead of December 2017
elections, issued the apology in
the face of public criticism over
the gaffe.
“I failed to realise that showing
friendliness this way could hurt
someone’s feelings,” Kim wrote
on his Facebook page on Friday.
“I am really sorry and there is no
excuse. I sincerely apologise
from the bottom of my heart.”
He made the quip while
delivering coal briquettes to the
needy in Seoul alongside a group
of foreign exchange students
earlier on Friday.
The event was part of a charity
programme which drew around
40 students from 27 countries as
well as 50 young members of the
Saenuri Party.
“Your face colour is the same as
the briquettes’ colour,” the 64-
year-old said to a Nigerian
student while laughing.
The student, Babalola Joushua
Adekunie, said he did not take
offence.
“I don’t give any special meaning
to it,” Adekunie told local news
outlet Focus News. “He said it
jokingly. He was laughing.”
“Personally I’m a black man… It’s
nothing that I am ashamed of.”
Asked whether he thought Kim
should apologise to him,
Adekunie replied in Korean:
“Guenchanayo (No problem)”.
The 26-year-old student is
attending a local university on a
South Korean government
scholarship.
Kim topped a Real Meter survey
published last week on support
levels for various presidential
hopefuls with 22.5 percent of
respondents backing him. Moon
Jae-In of the main opposition
party was second on 16.1
percent.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/racist-joke-s-korean-presidential-hopeful-apologises-to-nigerian/

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lalasticlala , Mynd44 , Obinoscopy , seun

To be fair... I really don't take offence to some remarks... as I don't think to much of it... but that's just me though... someone else might crying in the toilet... but I won't...

If the Whites are referred to as *White like snow*...we can be referred to as *Black like coal*.....,I personally don't find it racist,anyways,good thing he showed respect.

sometimes we take some remarks too extreme even when its harmless and harmless as well,,... we are blacks thats the fact be proud of it,, the whites are proud been called whites , this just shows inferiority complex

shogz89:
sometimes we take some remarks too extreme even when its harmless and harmless as well,,... we are blacks thats the fact be proud of it,, the whites are proud been called whites , this just shows inferiority complex

The dude said he was ok,with it

There is nothing there to apologise for!!!!QED

Africans and inferiority complex. To be sincere l don't see any insult from him