South Korean Singer Accused of Mocking Indian Culture in TikTok Video, Tenders Apology

South Korean singer Lee Sun Mi, also known as Sunmi, is facing social media backlash after being accused of mocking Indian culture in a TikTok video. In a video that has gone viral, Sunmi is seen dancing with the other two dancers wherein people have accused them of copying Indian classical dance. Also Read – South Korea Puts Up Breathtaking Drone Show to Thank Doctors, Remind People About Covid-19 Measures

According to many people on Twitter, the hand gestures and head movements of the three dancers in the video are quite similar to the Indian art form.

While some people had no problems with it, many others slammed the singer and accused her of making a mockery of Indian classical dance.

One user wrote, ”Hey Sunmi, this sound on TikTok is used in an offending manner towards Indians. where the hand gestures & head bobs are a mockery of Indian classical dances. please delete this! thank you.”

For those of you wondering what happened with Sunmi:
Please respect the opinions of your Indian mutuals and try to support them in this. So many Kpop idols are culturally insensitive and refuse to learn about different cultures even though they have access to the internet. pic.twitter.com/4n7GqW8bKZ

— sarah⁷ (@DARKKAIIS) July 26, 2020

hey sunmi, this sound on tiktok is used in an offending manner towards indians. where the hand gestures & head bobs are a mockery of indian classical dances. please delete this! thank you♥️

— 🤡⁷ (@sairkivist) July 26, 2020

I hope that all desi people will stop using K-pop/other cultures song too because you don’t own their culture.
Use your own culture instead.
I hope K-pop Idols will stop using other cultures as well

— ⁷Prapti¹²🌟ViVi🦌DAY (@JhooopesXspritE) July 26, 2020

People who are asking why it is insensitive 😓 I’m not even Indian but this obviously looked very wrong and offensive. Who tf sees this and does not get offended by how they’re mocking the dance? I mean fr poeple.

— 玲玲 (@TheGirl62) July 26, 2020

indians in the comments saying “it’s okay” – it’s not. when you live outside india, ppl use these songs to mock indian culture and indian people. we get degraded into curry eaters and funny hand movements. please understand that even if it was a joke, there was no reason +

— nvy⁷ (@palettehyyh) July 26, 2020

Seeing the situation get out of hand, Sunmi took responsibility and tendered an apology.

Apologising to her fans, she wrote, ”There is no reason or intention for me to mock the culture of other countries. It’s because of my ignorance of the culture. I apologize for being ignorant about the culture of other countries. And I’d like to say that I am truly sorry to those who have been hurt by my ignorance”.

There is no reason or intention for me to mock the culture of other countries. It’s because of my ignorance of the culture. I apologize for being ignorant about the culture of other countries. And I’d like to say that I am truly sorry to those who have been hurt by my ignorance.

— Miyayeah (@miyaohyeah) July 26, 2020