SEOUL, Aug 21 — A Japanese influencer followed by more than two million people on Instagram has sparked a backlash after appearing to make a racist eye gesture while mocking Ateez member San.
According to The Korea Herald, the influencer, known online as Gamix, uploaded a video yesterday recreating San’s recent dance performance to the song Bad.
For the clip, Gamix wore a shirt designed to resemble the Atletico Madrid jersey San had worn when he took part in a ceremonial kick-off at Seoul World Cup Stadium on August 9.
A photograph of the K-pop star in the jersey was also displayed at the bottom of the video.
But after briefly imitating San’s choreography, Gamix pulled the corners of his eyes outward with his fingers — a gesture widely regarded as a racist caricature of East Asian people.
The clip quickly attracted criticism online, with Gamix subsequently deleting it without publicly explaining his decision, according to the report.
The controversy did not end there.
Gamix later uploaded another video in which he narrowed his eyes while saying that, because he was Asian, his eyes did not open properly in the morning.
Rather than calming the criticism, the follow-up prompted a fresh wave of anger across Korean online communities.
Some users questioned whether the influencer was attempting to dismiss the original gesture as a joke instead of acknowledging why it had caused offence or issuing an apology.
Gamix had previously attracted international attention for a very different reason when footage showed him crying in the stands following Japan’s defeat at the 2026 Fifa World Cup in North America.
