In essence, blackface has a long history in America entrenched in making a mockery out of people of African descent. It is the act of darkening one’s skin and the thickening of lips to resemble a stereotypical view of a black person. Regardless of intent, whether it is malicious or for “fun” it represents an appalling period in history where black people were openly vilified simply for being black.To understand blackface, one must also understand that there were different stereotypes used to depict black people. These caricatures originated as white people’s idea of what black people were like, both free and enslaved, back in the early 19th century during vaudeville acts and minstrel shows. In these minstrel shows, performers would often darken their skin and “entertain” families with songs and skits using some of the worst stereotypes of what they thought black people were like. Refer to www.black-face.com for a more detailed look at how they were portrayed and how it affected America’s landscape. A combination of blackface and these racist stereotypes were so often used for comedic effect that it has become impossible to separate the two, which is why people today abhor such practices. These ideas and practices were so widespread that they are now embedded in the media’s consciousness to this day, seen in television and films. These portrayals may have evolved over time due to different socioeconomic factors but the message remains the same: it furthers the very dangerous idea that black people are second-class citizens and are to be laughed at.The history of blackface in Korea is quite different. A blog called Gusts of Popular Feelings has written up a post saying that there have been three decades of blackface in Korea: http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2012/03/three-decades-of-black-face-in-korea.html One instance of blackface and how it is received: a comedian named Lee Bong-won darkened their skin and did a “sikeomeonsu” routine which was really popular with many people (an explanation of sikemeonsu can be found in the blog). However he stopped doing blackface in 1987 because African people would be coming to the 1988 Olympics and decided that “we don’t want to denigrate black people.” Again in 2003 when the Bubble Sisters came out with their blackface concept, they received a lot of negativity. There are more instances in that blog link about blackface being used as a comedic tool, and each time they have received some sort of backlash. One interesting incident is that of “Maikol” or Michael, which is apparently a parody of Michael Jackson. A lot of netizens claim that foreigners shouldn’t find it racist because Maikol can speak Korean and is not actually black even though it is a parody of a black person, but it begs the question: where did these interpretations come from if they all look similar to American usage of blackface? In the same blog link, there had been other ways in which Korean entertainers have depicted black people: they are usually from Africa, with a bone through their nose, and with kinky hair depicting them as “savage.”We are now going back to a point made in the beginning of the post about intent. In America, blackface was a harmful tool used by the media to malign the black community, portraying them as uneducated, sleazy, up-to-no-good characters. How is blackface in Korea used? From all the examples shown in that blog, they carry similar characteristics: it is definitely played for comedic effect, as if LOOKING LIKE a black person is funny because their skin is dark and their lips are big. The other characteristic is to show them as ugly and undesirable.This effectively lets the Korean people know that black people are seen as ugly, undesirable savages, which is obviously not true. Now, does it matter if it was done maliciously? No it does not. Receiving these images of blackface will always hurt the way black people are seen and will continue to remind them of the hurtful and shameful history behind this makeup.Now in the advent of a global media where a black girl or boy from a foreign country can get into Kpop in the comfort of their home sees that idols like Kikwang, Eunhyuk and Shindong darkens their skin and thicken their lips, is it unreasonable for them to be offended? Let us not forget that there are black people living in South Korea, whether for work or because they love the country. These people may still feel hurt seeing these images, regardless of intention. To them it’s not a misunderstanding, or a different type of humor: it’s an assertion of an image of inferiority. No one wants to see themselves on television as an offensive caricature. Do you?