Racist comments about Filipinos on social media roused anger to netizens

In the past few days, ethnic Koreans and Filipinos have been exchanging demeaning and discriminatory insults over the social media. It all started when a Filipino American Bella Poarch, a TikTok personality in Hawaii, posted a video of herself dancing on the social media platform with a tattoo resembling the Rising Sun design on September 5.

Photo credit: technology.inquirer.net

The sunburst symbol with 16 rays is regarded as offensive by some, especially among Koreans and Chinese, for its association with Japanese imperialism and war crimes in the early 20th century, similar to the Nazi swastika.

Criticism immediately followed from different Korean media accounts, condemning her for being ignorant and offensive to viewers. 

Poarch a day later uploaded another video to apologize for the tattoo design.

I’m very sorry if my tattoo offends you. I love Korea. Please forgive me, 

she said in the video, adding in a comment that she will have the tattoo removed or do cover up.

I did not know the history behind this tattoo and I will educate others about it, 

she wrote.

As hours past, more and more criticisms from Koreans are being thrown to Filipinos, some Filipinos also expressed their dismay and started using the hashtag #CancelKorea which had been looming around the social media. Koreans and Filipinos continued throwing derogatory and racially discriminatory insults toward one another, and this continued throughout the week.

Poarch posted in her twitter, adding fuel to the war of words over social media saying

Y’all can attack me. I’m ok with that... But when y’all attack Philippines and make fun of them, that’s when I lose my s—.

As the dispute continues, some Korean social media users are asking to end the war of words and come to peace with respect toward each ethnicity, posting with hashtags like #SorryToFilipinos, and some Filipino users responding with #SorryToKoreans.