There are some cultural differences between K-Pop and the cultures from which the genre borrows, sometimes resulting in unintended racism or cultural appropriation.
Over the years, the words naega and niga have sparked misunderstanding among those who do not listen to K-Pop or speak Korean. Each of the words sounds similar to the reclaimed version of the racial slur “n*gger,” used now by Black people with an a instead of the -er.
However, as there have been some instances where the two words’ similar sounds have been used to mimic the word without actually saying it, idols singing it as it should be used occasionally goes viral.
When will idols understand that they can’t say the N word.
Here’s a wanna one member saying it. Idk him but he’s cancelled. pic.twitter.com/W1cRyhhAOy— julian (@sinkroyals) August 24, 2017
This recently happened with ILLIT‘s Wonhee.
In a behind-the-scenes clip, Wonhee is vocally warming up as stylists fix her hair. She begins singing the chorus of “Magnetic” before switching to her verse, repeating naega multiple times before finishing her line. (18:33 in the below video)
The video clip was reposted on X with a caption mentioning other idols accused of using the N-word, spreading the false information before a note was added sharing the correct information.
“are you ready for your n word lessons?”
Giselle gulped
Momo began to cry
julie nodded
hwasa collapsed
ahyeon shuddered
Jinsoul blinked nervously“yes, wonhee they said in unisonpic.twitter.com/ORZsBsGAae
— reigencel (@snatchedlucifer) May 16, 2024
However, the damage was done, as the video was reposted on TikTok as a “joke” but quickly racked up over 3.1 million views. It was also reposted without any context on a “meme” account, spreading even further.
@aniployia 💀💀 #fyp #funny #kpop #relatable #kaicenat #speed #dukedennis #foryoupage #viral
♬ original sound – Aniployia
pic.twitter.com/Ml5LfWnCL5
— ShitpostGateway (@ShitpostGate) May 18, 2024
Many have felt that even posting it as a joke was not appropriate, as it could lead to hate against Wonhee, among other things.
kpop stans swear they don’t make fun of foreign languages or accents and then make jokes like this https://t.co/nV5ZpuLzB9
— josiahh!🐧 (@urrfavonce_) May 16, 2024
why do you people think anti-blackness is a punchline? https://t.co/Lg9c8X03mS
— maddie*ੈ✩⁷⁹⁵🇵🇸 (@maddsinterlude) May 16, 2024
do you guys realize how fucking disgusting ts is… you guys ALWAYS associating naega – 내가 with the n word, its so unfunny
its just blatant racism and people are actually falling for this shit.. you guys would do anything to make her seem like a bad person, its unbelievably sad https://t.co/UosqfqkLuF
— •ﻌ• (@uwuchuri) May 16, 2024
