KARD News: Racist Host Mocks K-pop Co-Ed Group On Live Brazilian TV
Brazilian TV host and singer Raul Gil, 79, became a trending topic on Twitter worldwide when he made racist remarks during the live guest appearance of K-pop quartet KARD on his show titled "Turma Do Vovo Raul." While Gil was criticized for being a racist, the members of the group, BM, Somin, Jiwoo and J.seph, were praised for the way they dealt with the incident.
The KARD members maintained their composure throughout the show, which went smoothly on the first few minutes. In one segment, Gil invited to the stage four children of mixed ethnicities to represent BM, Somin, Jiwoo and J.seph.
When asked by Gil of their ethnicity, the first three children answered Japanese while the last one failed to answer the question. This prompted the host to comment that the boy who failed to answer needed to open his eyes. An Oriental riff was then played in the background while the host started to speak with Asian accent.
When the KARD members went on stage, Gil asked them if they are dating other members, to which they replied no. This garnered a loud cheering from the audience.
Surprised by the crowd's reaction, the host then asked his audience if they wanted to marry the KARD members. The audience responded with a louder cheer. The host told the crowd members that they would have to stretch their eyes while making a slanted-eye gesture.
Some of the comments made by the host were reportedly omitted by the on-stage Korean-Portuguese translator because they were racially insensitive. The awkwardness of the whole ordeal was evident in the facial expressions of KARD members although they managed to stay calm and handle the situation professionally.
KARD officially debuted on July 19, Wednesday, with an extended play titled "Hola Hola." The long-awaited debut of the co-ed group took place in Seoul, South Korea, according to All Kpop.
On July 20, Thursday, "Hola Hola" ranked number one on Olleh Music, Chosun has learned. The song also ranked number 39 and number 50 on Naver Music and on Melon, respectively.
"Hola Hola" has six tracks, include a collaboration song titled "Oh Na Na" featuring Heo Young Ji. Meanwhile, watch how KARD dealt with racism on live TV in Brazil here:
