The Korean Government’s response to their failed bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan has come under fire for its racist portrayal of Saudi Arabia.
Busan | Newsweek
On November 29, the Bureau International des Expositions, the governing body that supervises the World Expo, voted for the 2030 World Expo to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Britannica
Although there were those who were initially disappointed by the results, the real controversy came after South Korea’s disastrous expo pitch was leaked.
While Saudi Arabia’s pitch was focused on the city’s changing generation and their claims of a burgeoning multi-cultural presence, South Korea’s pitch for a Busan expo focused on K-Pop and played PSY’s “Gangnam Style” in the background. Noteworthy is the fact that Gangnam is in Seoul, while Busan is 200 miles (320km) away in the southernmost tip of the peninsula.
Gangnam to Busan | google maps
The country’s bid would then go from cringe to offensive after KTV, the Korean government’s official mouthpiece, posted a now-deleted video clip. In the clip, a man dressed wearing a head-garb, supposedly representative of Saudi Arabia, sat with another man wearing a hanbok. The clip reportedly asks the two men why they thought each nation should host the expo.
While the South Korean representative lists off a litany of reasons, the Saudi Arabian representative merely repeats “Saudi Arabia” in a mocking manner that is undoubtedly offensive to the Saudi Arabian people.
KTV’s offensive clip/ @ktv_kr/Instagram
Although the clip has since been deleted, Korean netizens lambasted the government for this shocking and inexcusably crass display of racism.
“This is the level of our people.” “The is LOL levels of f@cking crazy.” “Crazy.” “Seeing this, it makes sense that these are the people who voted for our president.” “So f@cking embarassing.” “Wow, are they fucking crazy?” “This is befitting of the current president, LOL.” “This is eye-level for those who voted for the current president.” “The people who grew Ilbae haven’t gone far… They became our current government…” “F@cking crazy b@stards…”
What are your thoughts?
