New Survival Show “Starlight Boys” Under Fire For Alleged Racism And Xenophobia

It’s marketed as a global show, though.
News
Koreaboo

Spoiler Alert

This article reveals plot details of a current movie or series.

Starlight Boys, an ongoing South Korean and Chinese boy group survival show, recently premiered via iQIYI and SBS on October 26, 2024. Sixty-nine male contestants from around the world are competing for a spot in the final top 9. While Lee Sung Kyoung is the MC, Lee Seung Gi, BIGBANG’s Daesung, Choi Youngjoon, Hanhae, Kwon Eun Bi, Pentagon’s Hui, THE BOYZ’s Eric, and STAYC’s Yoon are judges (known as “Guiders”).

“Starlight Boys” poster

It’s already been slammed with racism and xenophobia allegations despite its marketing as a global show.

Here, dazzling teenagers from all over the world gather to receive professional training at Starlight Academy, crossing the boundaries of language and culture and igniting the stage with their talent and passion. Through fierce competition and teamwork, they will compete for the opportunity to become a globally recognized super idol. Let’s witness how they are born from the starlight and become trendsetting stars!

— iQIYI

Japanese American trainee Syo and Japanese trainee Ryou Kaito performed AB6IX‘s “BREATHE” together. They proved to be a great team, but they both showed their individual talents.

Their performance has gone viral on social media, with 3.3M views at the time of writing. Many netizens are outraged over the guiders’ decision. In the episode, Syo received no stars.

Netizens called out the guiders’ rudeness toward Syo and felt their decision-making was entirely hypocritical. Syo, who hadn’t learned dancing, wasn’t even given one star for his potential, while Korean trainee Kim Seong Ju was given a star despite no dance lessons. He was also told he was quite cute, while other trainees were given none for seemingly being “too cute.”

Screen Shot 2024-10-30 at 1.36.04 PM

Screen Shot 2024-10-30 at 1.33.22 PM

Netizens also raised concerns regarding racism and xenophobia. Syo had mentioned that he’s stereotyped due to being half-Black, as most expect him to portray a hip-hop image.

Additionally, in a preview, Chinese singer Sun Ying Hao speaks up on behalf of idols and trainees, emphasizing that they are humans, not machines. Netizens suspect this was in response to the alleged xenophobia and racism from the judges.

Screen Shot 2024-10-30 at 1.37.30 PM

While netizens are outraged by the judges’ apparent biases and prejudices, they encourage each other to vote for Sun Ying Hao, Syo, and all mistreated contestants.

Next Page
Scroll to top