Male K-Pop Idol Spills The Biggest Culture Difference He Dealt With In Korea

Many K-Pop idol groups have foreign members, and it can be hard to adjust to the culture when they first come to Korea.

It’s also similar for Korean-American idols born or growing up outside Korea.

In a recent episode of POP OUT RADIO, a program that meets with various K-Pop artists, rapper pH1 sat down with KARD’s BM to talk about the K-Pop scene.

BM, who grew up in L.A., felt a huge language barrier when he first came to Korea.

Because it was such a new environment, it was interesting, and when I started to realize that I was learning this culture, it got really hard. First of all, I couldn’t speak Korean, and I felt alienated at that time…I didn’t think I felt it then, but looking back now, I felt a lot of alienation.

— BM

Aside from language, there were other cultural differences that he felt.

“Learning manners wasn’t difficult. In Korea, it’s about appearance. ‘You look a bit fat today?’ Those words aren’t meant to hurt, you know. They’re just saying it. And the person receiving it too, most of the time, they say, ‘Ah yeah, I need to lose some weight.’ They just react like that and that’s it, right?

But when I first heard that, wow, it was really hurtful. In the U.S., people don’t really talk about appearance unless it’s serious, so it’s a very sensitive topic. It took some time to get used to that.

But the good thing about that is the weight came off quickly.”

— BM

K-Netizens agreed with his opinion and wished this type of culture would stop.

• “Seriously, comments about visuals are getting so bad. I went to an event without makeup, and someone asked if I had just woken up and come out. This person was a woman, too. I thought she was crazy. I stayed quiet because there were many people. Afterward, whenever we met, she asked why my face was bloated, so now I don’t meet them often.”
• “I heard from somewhere that if it’s something that they can’t change in three minutes, don’t say it. So basically, you should tell them if there’s maybe something on their face.”
• “Even I thought that saying things like that was normal and didn’t realize that was saying something about someone’s visuals. I need to fix this.”
• “Did you gain weight? Did you lose weight? I really hate hearing this. Did you help me gain or lose weight?”
• “I have a friend who always comments on the face or body, so I can’t meet them anymore. I get so stressed. All they are interested in is appearance.”
• “Did you gain weight and there’s something on your face are two things that I wish people would stop saying. I know, too, so stop pointing it out.”
• “I know someone who talks about every part of others’ faces, and I can’t take it anymore. They have no manners or any sense. They have an obsession with beauty, and they are putting that on others, too.”
• “I really hate this culture. I wish it would disappear.”

To hear more about it, watch the full video below!