Korean presidential candidate apologises for telling Nigerian student he looks like coal

SOUTH Korean presidential candidate Kim Moo-Sung has apologised to Nigerians living in the country after he sparked a public uproar during a campaign speech in which he likening the skin colour of a Nigerian student to coal.

 

Mr Moo-Sung, the leader of the country’s ruling conservative Saenuri Party and the front runner in elections scheduled for later this month, issued the apology in the face of public criticism over the gaffe. He made the quip while delivering coal briquettes to the needy in Seoul alongside a group of foreign exchange students earlier on Friday.

 

A campaign stop, 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. During the event, Mr Moo-Sung told Nigerian student Joshua Babalola Adekunle that his faced looked like the coal briquettes.

 

“Your face colour is the same as the briquettes’ colour,” the 64-year-old Mr Moo-Sung said while laughing. Mr Adekunle, 26, who is attending a local university on a South Korean government scholarship, said he did not take offence at the remark though.

 

Mr Adekunle added: “I didn’t give any special meaning to it as he said it jokingly and he was laughing. Personally I’m a black man and it’s nothing that I am ashamed of.”

 

However, realising the damage his remarks made, Mr Moo-Sung took to Facebook to apologise. He wrote: “I failed to realise that showing friendliness this way could hurt someone’s feelings.

 

“I am really sorry and there is no excuse. I sincerely apologise from the bottom of my heart.”

 

Last week, Mr Moo-Sung topped a Real Meter survey published on support levels for various presidential hopefuls with 22.5% of respondents backing him. Moon Jae-In of the main opposition party was second on 16.1%.