South Korea’s, and South Asia’s, colorist tendencies are once again the subject of debate, after K-pop idols BoA and aespa’s Karina discuss fellow idols Hyoyeon’s “tanned skin.” While the comments may appear innocuous, the internet is divided, with one section defending the duo and the other calling them colorists.All three idols are part of SM Entertainment’s supergroup Girls on Top, which is made up of seven members, including Taeyeon, Seulgi and Wendy of Red Velvet, and Karina and Winter of aespa. The group recently got together for a YouTube vlog titled Girls on Top: Let's get to the TOP, posted on the supergroup’s official channel on February 9.Within two days, a certain snippet from the vlog went viral on social media, with many people expressing offense.BoA's first impression of Hyoyeon was about her tanned skinIn the short vlog, the members discussed their initial impressions of the members. They also shared their experiences so far with Girls on Top.It was during this conversation that the SNSD member, Hyoyeon, asked BoA what she thought when they saw each other for the first time.Hyoyeon asked,"First impression of (me) in five words?"To this, BoA stated that it was her skin color that stood out."Me, I have one. She is very tanned."Laughing at the response, Hyoyeon responded,"Right, why was I so tan?"The other members also laughed at this playful exchange between the two members. While the incident may not appear explicitly offensive, many people on Twitter thought otherwise. The person who uploaded the shortened clip captioned it,"Why do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is Karina laughing so hard..."gean 💌@orbitwolzwhy do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard01:28 AM · Feb 11, 2022704413498why do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard https://t.co/zBPRIbbA3Naespa member Karina recieved most flak from netizensWhile all the members laughed at BoA’s answer, aespa’s Karina was visibly laughing harder and longer than the others, which did not go down well with many.K.T ⁷@willowseren@orbitwolz Karina be like:07:55 AM · Feb 12, 20225815@orbitwolz Karina be like: https://t.co/CNdOA77ph6L DOMINATION |@loey_hunderedKarina laughing at racist/colourist joked but knetz trying to cancel ningning for supporting her country??? Make it make sense03:38 AM · Feb 12, 2022404Karina laughing at racist/colourist joked but knetz trying to cancel ningning for supporting her country??? Make it make senseA@LisaNita_Ms Karina having the time of her life laughing at racist and colorist joke . Plus who are the rest of the girls? twitter.com/orbitwolz/stat…gean 💌@orbitwolzwhy do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard9:12 PM · Feb 11, 202221429why do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard https://t.co/zBPRIbbA3NMs Karina having the time of her life laughing at racist and colorist joke 💀. Plus who are the rest of the girls? twitter.com/orbitwolz/stat…ges@silnetcrymis karina laughing like it's the funniest shit girl are you stupid twitter.com/orbitwolz/stat…gean 💌@orbitwolzwhy do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard10:10 PM · Feb 11, 202241715why do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard https://t.co/zBPRIbbA3Nmis karina laughing like it's the funniest shit girl are you stupid 😕 twitter.com/orbitwolz/stat…ningning worldwide fans ꆛ@xsplayboikarina laughing ha ass off at a colourist joke… ningning solo stan era I fear10:54 PM · Feb 11, 20224karina laughing ha ass off at a colourist joke… ningning solo stan era I fear https://t.co/c5KAc5zorGEver since the clip was posted, several have come forward with their opinions. While some defended the Girls on Top members, others were much more critical. Colorism in South Korea and other Asian countries is a rampant problem, but is rarely discussed. It upset many that globally popular idols displayed such behavior.𝑺𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒍@simplysahel@orbitwolz i swear the whole kpop industry is obsessed with skin color..8:51 PM · Feb 11, 20223014718@orbitwolz i swear the whole kpop industry is obsessed with skin color..sensibility@pniccia@orbitwolz Yeah, Unfortunately colorism is normal in Korea. And its possible that they will never change. I realized this in this episode of hello councilor. Thats why I try to enjoy just the music and dance aspect of kpop and not everything as a whole.09:39 AM · Feb 12, 20228345@orbitwolz Yeah, Unfortunately colorism is normal in Korea. And its possible that they will never change. I realized this in this episode of hello councilor. Thats why I try to enjoy just the music and dance aspect of kpop and not everything as a whole. https://t.co/flDaeI3DyKlevy !@iheartprkjm@orbitwolz who cares if this shit is normal in Korea it still needs to be FIXED.9:57 PM · Feb 11, 20223152419@orbitwolz who cares if this shit is normal in Korea it still needs to be FIXED.Many netizens took to social media to educate the idols that there is nothing wrong or funny about tanned or dark skin. Karina and her laughter were the main focus of the criticism.SKY the…@IAmKyleSkies@orbitwolz South Korea is literally colourist. It’s apart of their everyday lives. Meanwhile most of them aren’t even the colour they’re not. It’s sad10:54 PM · Feb 11, 20222239@orbitwolz South Korea is literally colourist. It’s apart of their everyday lives. Meanwhile most of them aren’t even the colour they’re not. It’s sadKahless Is Old@KayLessM8@orbitwolz Urgh. It's 2022 and they'll all keep making these jokes, fans will defend them with their lives, they'll learn NOTHING and will never be held accountable. Boom. Cycle protected. Behaviour will continue.11:41 PM · Feb 11, 202217327@orbitwolz Urgh. It's 2022 and they'll all keep making these jokes, fans will defend them with their lives, they'll learn NOTHING and will never be held accountable. Boom. Cycle protected. Behaviour will continue.A certain section of people defended Hyoyeon and BoA, stating that the duo have been friends for almost a decade, and the exchange was nothing more than friendly banter between friends. Their defense, however, was attacked by others, who stated that being friends does not justify colorist remarks.fifi@keplanetar@orbitwolz I honestly don't see what's a problem here, they asked for first impression of hyoyeon and boa responded to that question, they we're probably laughing because they expected different answer like cute, friendly etc03:17 AM · Feb 12, 20222@orbitwolz I honestly don't see what's a problem here, they asked for first impression of hyoyeon and boa responded to that question, they we're probably laughing because they expected different answer like cute, friendly etcsa do minmin@s2eungmo_@orbitwolz isn't the "joke" in the fact that BoA thought this? no one is laughing at the skin color, but from the random context, I don't see any harm in it, no one said it was bad to be tannedI don't want to defend anyone I just really don't understand03:35 AM · Feb 12, 2022122@orbitwolz isn't the "joke" in the fact that BoA thought this? no one is laughing at the skin color, but from the random context, I don't see any harm in it, no one said it was bad to be tannedI don't want to defend anyone I just really don't understanddouble eyelid hoshi@shualyztldr;- language lesson: basically you can't avoid saying tanned without mentioning the terms "darker/black" in kr- boa prob said a racist term while trying to say hyoyeon was tan... - karina laughing IS colorist09:05 AM · Feb 12, 202241tldr;- language lesson: basically you can't avoid saying tanned without mentioning the terms "darker/black" in kr- boa prob said a racist term while trying to say hyoyeon was tan... 🚩- karina laughing IS coloristFans of Girls on Top and of the individual idols have asked for an official apology from BoA and Karina. SM Entertainment has not addressed the controversy, yet.