On May 2, K-Pop group BigBang member G-Dragon, also known professionally as Kwon Ji-yong, performed at K-SPARK in Macau wearing a shirt with an anti-Black racial slur, written in Dutch, on the back.
The shirt also featured an offensive caricature of a Black person on the front.
The shirt was a vintage item from controversial German designer Bernard Willhelm from a collection the artist claimed was aimed at challenging social attitudes toward racism and sexuality, often through the use of racial slurs and stereotypes that didn't apply to nor affect the White German designer making them.
Willhelm has been criticized for monetizing racism and harmful stereotypes solely for profit rather than any of the lofty ideals he claims, giving his largely White clientele a free pass to wear racial slurs they don't dare say.
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G-Dragon, 37, is an artist known for being very involved in his own styling, choosing his own clothes and hairstyles, making the backlash about the shirt largely focused on him as an individual and not on the K-SPARK event, his group BigBang, or his management.
You can see censored photos of G-Dragon wearing the shirt in Macau on May 2 here:
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After the controversy broke, Billboard reported photos claiming to be of G-Dragon wearing the same shirt 20 years earlier were posted online, but their authenticity hasn't been verified.
One issue with the claim is that the shirt has been reported as being from a 2014/2015 collection, but its exact date of production is also difficult to verify because of the designer's sporadic releases of his work.
The shirt could be from any year from as early as 1999 to at least 2015.
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Loyal fans of the performer took took to the K-Pop artist's official Instagram account to proclaim their love "no matter what" and make false claims about the shirt's true meaning.
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But their false claims were quickly shut down by people who actually read and speak the Dutch language and know their own culture.
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Other fans took to G-Dragon's Instagram account to ask him to explain himself or to apologize.
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G-Dragon’s agency, Galaxy Corporation, released an official statement to "sincerely apologize for the inappropriate wording featured" to "everyone who was hurt or disappointed by this incident" on May 3.
But G-Dragon himself has remained silent.
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Galaxy Corporation's official statement read:
"This incident has once again reminded us of the importance of cultural sensitivity and responsible review. We will thoroughly reassess and strengthen our internal review and verification processes, including styling and related internal processes, and move forward with a higher standard of global respect and responsibility."
"We remain committed to approaching all artist-related activities with greater thoughtfulness and accountability, while ensuring that the diverse cultural backgrounds and values of our global fans will always be respected."
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of BigBang.
The group was active from 2006-2018, then reformed again in 2022.
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