As the idol group BTS and the Netflix sitcom “Squid Game” gain international acclaim, global interest in “K-culture” grows.
Furthermore, on May 28th, at the “75th Cannes Film Festival“, actor Song Kang Ho and director Park Chan Wook were nominated Best Actor side by side and gained worldwide acclaim.
However, there are cases where Korean stars who have become famous all over the world have been treated rudely while fulfilling their schedules abroad.
Let us now meet the celebrities who have not only promoted “Korean” culture globally, but have also encountered absurd things abroad.
IU
On March 26th, IU was pushed by French influencer into the “75th Cannes Film Festival” with “Broker,” her first commercial film leading role.
She “accidentally” pushed her on the shoulder so hard that IU‘s body shook, then moved by without apologizing.
As the uproar escalated, the said influencer posted an Instagram story tagging IU‘s account and saying, “I had no idea. I genuinely apologize.”
Then she issued a ludicrous apology, saying, “I want to do makeup once as an apology, and I hope you would reply if you read the message.”
Lee Seo Jin
Lee Seo Jin, who attended the American Academy Awards, was shown holding the bag of American actress Jamie Lee Curtis in tvN‘s “Unexpected Journey,” which aired on the 29th.
Jamie Lee Curtis asked Lee Seo Jin, who was first meeting him, to keep his bag and then left without properly thanking him.
Through the subtitles, the tvN‘s “Unexpected Journey” side stressed that Lee Seo Jin and her were the first.
Domestic viewers were furious, claiming, “It is discriminatory to have actors from other nations play ‘bag shuttle‘”.
BTS’ V
V attended the “64th Grammy Awards” in April and had a great time putting on a great show.
In the part where he opened his mouth to admire the performances of other musicians, Australian media “The Project” included a CG portraying a virus.
It was edited as if V was spreading the virus in the middle of certain Westerners’ Asian hostility when it initially appeared in China.
Following the release of the video, the BTS fan club “Army” protested against the broadcaster and demanded to apologize.
Lee Jung Jae
Film director Steven Spielberg, well-known as a world-famous master, sparked controversy when he referred to Lee Jung Jae as an “unknown actor” during a speech at the American Producers’ Guild Awards on March 19th.
Netizens who heard Steven Spielberg‘s remarks poured out reactions that were rude. This is because Lee Jung Jae was already a top actor in Korea.
On the same day, he said, “I was inspired by the fact that ‘Squid Game’ accomplished so much without any American actors“.
Many who heard Steven Spielberg‘s US-centric remarks also heavily criticized him.
Source[1]
Jamie Lee Curtis DID say thank you but that does not show in most of the clips. Having been at many awards shows if a star hands you a bag to hold while a picture is being taken, it’s a compliment. She saw him as an equal – no one hands a bag probably worth thousands of dollars to a waiter. Actors treat other actors as equals in America – it’s not a hierarchy as it is in Asia. Only if she recognized him as a fellow actor would she have given him the bag.