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Is 'Mi Barrio' racist? BTS members mocked as 'Kim Jong-uno, dos and tres' in Chilean show's parody sketch

'So they're just admitting that racism is a joke for them,' a user responded to the Chilean show's parody sketch

'Mi Barrio', a comedy show from Chile, has come under fire for its offensive portrayal of the K-pop boy band, BTS, in a parody sketch. On April 10, the show aired a skit where the Korean language and culture, including BTS, were mocked. BTS fans aka the Army are particularly outraged about the sketch associating BTS members with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

Social media users expressed their ire, with the hashtag #ElRacismoNoEsComedia (Racism is not comedy) trending at the top. The creators of the show later acknowledged the outrage and issued an official statement, saying, "Thank you everyone for the good vibes! We’ll continue improving, learning, listening, and we’ll remain firm in our intention: to bring fun to families. We collect all positive comments and also the critics, because that’s what we’re for: contribute a little with humour and fun." 

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"We think that they won't release an apology and that they don't feel their actions are wrong," a Twitter user responded to the statement by 'Mi Barrio'.

What did 'Mi Barrio' say about BTS?

A segment on the April 10 episode of the show comprised comedians dressing up as members of BTS. They later introduced themselves with offensive names like 'Kim Jong-uno', 'Kim Jong-dos' and 'Kim Jong-tres'. They spoke in accented gibberish while parodying the Korean language. The comedians also joked about the Coronavirus in connection with Asians. 

According to The Independent, BTS fans and viewers of the show accused it of propagating racism and xenophobia, especially at a time when anti-Asian hate crimes are on the rise. Chilean TV Council received over 1,000 complaints following the airing of 'Mi Barrio' BTS parody.

"This is not how I wanted to spend my Sunday, but here we are. Racism isn't funny. Repeating the name of a dictator isn't clever. Making fun of a language you don't understand isn't cute. Pretending to be twee isn't it. It's 2021. Knock it off, #MIBarrio. #ElRacismoNoEsComedia," tweeted Jae-Ha Kim. 

One user wrote, "TW // Racism #MiBarrio, racism is not and will never be funny. Humor at the expense of people is inexcusable. Enough of this mockery. #ElRacismoNoEsComedia"

"They really said that "humor helps people deal with the difficult times of the pandemic that we're going through". So they're just admitting that racism is a joke for them :/," wrote another user. 

A Chilean BTS fan appealed, "I think we should bring attention to this matter from a Chilean Program making racist and xenophobic remarks towards the Asian community thru a “re-enact” of BTS. We’ve said it before #RacismIsNotComedy! Spanish speaking ARMYs let’s do our best to spread this. #MiBarrioMega"

While the extremely popular boy band has not responded to the controversy, they have addressed the issue of anti-Asian hate crimes in the past. Narrating their own experiences with discrimination and racism, the band posted a statement saying, "We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”