British celebrity apologizes over racism controversy

By Jung Min-ho

A British man, who was embroiled in a racism controversy for his behavior on Instagram and a comment he made during a popular TV show here, apologized Saturday.

Simon Burfiend, 25, one of the three main cast members for the latest season of “Welcome! First Time in Korea?” on MBC Every1, apologized about his controversial comments and his behavior on his Instragram page.

“I am sad and truly sorry if comments by either myself or my friends on social media have caused hurt or offense. I want to assure you that these comments were made without intent or malice, and were not directed at any viewers,” he said on Instagram.

After rising to instant fame through the show, he was accused of condoning racism over his friends’ comments. Apparently making fun of his Korean fans’ incorrect use of English, his friends made comments such as “Hi Mr Simone big fan of u, much muscles on your bod so handysom peace look forward to next filming,” which angered many Koreans.

After some Koreans pointed out their behavior, Burfiend closed the comment section of the photo.

After the episode aired on Jan. 18, Burfiend was caught up in another racism controversy for his conversation with two other cast members. As they talked about a bakery in Seoul where they had stopped and bought something to eat, he said what many people heard as “Yes, this is quite civilized.” But he claimed what he said was “similar,” not “civilized.”