[SBS Star] "Kwak Beom's Skin Tone Is Darker than Bruno Mars'!" The 'APT.' Parody Controversy Explained

As comedian Kwak Beom found himself at the center of a racial discrimination controversy for his parody of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's ROSÉ and American singer Bruno Mars' mega-hit 'APT.,' fellow comedian Lee Chang-ho stepped in to clarify the situation.

On October 30 episode of SBS POWER FM's radio show "Cultwo Show," Lee Chang-ho, who is a co-owner of the YouTube channel "Bbangsoongguk" alongside Kwak Beom, made a guest appearance. 

During the show, Kim Tae Kyun mentioned the viral video ROZÉM and Bruzi Mar's "Jaegunchuk APT." music video featuring comedienne Eom Ji-yoon and Kwak Beom, which parodied ROSÉ and Bruno Mars' "APT." music video and was released on the "Bbangsongguk" channel the day before. 

Through a combination of costumes, props, and clever editing, along with their impressive performances, they achieved a remarkable level of synchronization with the original music video, quickly gaining hundreds of thousands of views and capturing a lot of attention.
 
Regarding the video, Kim Tae Kyun commented on how impressed he was, saying, "I was particularly struck by the level of synchronization that Kwak Beom had with Bruno Mars."

Lee Chang-ho mentioned that Kwak Beom is currently on a business trip to Australia, stating, "It would be great if he could come and talk about the video himself, but unfortunately, he has a tight schedule, so I've been answering calls and speaking on his behalf."

In response, Kim Tae Kyun noted, "After the video was released, some domestic and international fans questioned whether Kwak Beom had altered his skin tone to resemble Bruno Mars, with some even criticizing him for it. You know that, right?" to which Lee Chang-ho clarified, "Yeah, some people have been saying, 'That's a very sensitive issue you've touched on there, guys.' But let me clarify: we didn't apply anything to his face."

He added, "In fact, Kwak Beom's natural skin tone is a bit darker than Bruno Mars'. He was just born that way."

Kwak Beom's fans, aware that he did not paint his skin, felt relieved by Lee Chang-ho's clarification and playfully said, "Everyone, apologize to Kwak Beom now!"
 
(Credit= '빵송국' 'ROSÉ' YouTube) 

(SBS Star)