The frontrunner to be South Korea's next
president has apologised after sparking a public
uproar for jokingly likening the skin colour of an
African student to coal, forgetting that, his looks
like yellow igbe.
Kim Moo-Sung, the leader of the country's ruling
conservative Saenuri Party and the leader in
polling ahead of December 2017 elections,
issued the apology in the face of public criticism
over the gaffe.
''I failed to realise that showing friendliness
this way could hurt someone's feelings.'' Kim
wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.
''I am really sorry and there is no excuse. I
sincerely apologise from the bottom of my
heart.''
He made the quip while delivering coal
briquettes to the needy in Seoul alongside a
group of foreign exchange students earlier on
Friday.
The event was part of a charity programme
which drew around 40 students from 27
countries as well as 50 young members of the
Saenuri Party.
''Your face colour is the same as the
briquettes' colour.'' The 64-year-old said to a
Nigerian student while laughing.
The student, Babalola Joushua Adekunie, said he
did not take offence.
''I don't give any special meaning to it.''
Adekunie told local news outlet Focus News. ''He
said it jokingly. He was laughing.''
''Personally I'm a black man… It's nothing that
I am ashamed of.''
Asked whether he thought Kim should apologise
to him, Adekunie replied in Korean:
''Guenchanayo (No problem).''
The 26-year-old student is attending a local
university on a South Korean government
scholarship.
Kim topped a Real Meter survey published last
week on support levels for various presidential
hopefuls with 22.5 percent of respondents
backing him. Moon Jae-In of the main
opposition party was second on 16.1 percent.
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