Concerns have been raised that Yoona, a member of the K-pop group Girls’ Generation and an actress, may have been subjected to racial discrimination by security personnel at the prestigious 77th Cannes International Film Festival.
On May 26, a video of a security guard preventing the King The Land actress from posing on the red carpet is doing rounds on social media.
The security guard stopped her from talking to the reporters and posed for the camera, and even though she didn’t show it visibly, her expression seemed uneasy.
The said security guard is known for being racially discriminated towards people of color and was involved in similar incidents with Massiel Taveras and Kelly Rowland.
The reports also mentioned that the security guard was being too cautious with Yoona. She was seen blocking the reporters’ cameras and stopping her from interacting with fans.
In the video, the security guard extended his arms in front of the 33-year-old actress, creating a barrier.
Fans are calling for the removal of the security guard from red carpet events after multiple allegations of racist behavior, including the incident with Yoona.
Sadly, she isn’t the first Korean celebrity to face racism at Cannes. Last year, IU was pushed by a French influencer on the red carpet and didn’t get an apology. Despite this, Yoona confidently walked the red carpet, looking beautiful in pink and getting lots of attention from foreign media.
However, a security guard’s racist behavior ruined her special moment, showing that more needs to be done to make the industry welcoming and respectful.