Teenage Nigerian-Korean Model Makes Spotlights

16 year old half Nigerian and half Korean fashion model known as Han Hyun-Min is making fast waves as a star on South Korean catwalks. Born of a Nigerian father and Korean mother, Han was raised in South Korea amidst high discrimination and racism. His rise to fame may have been motivated by a deep desire to become relevant despite the severe hostility he had to face as a result of his being biracial.

A dark-skinned fashion model like Han was unfamiliar in South Korea, so enlisting him was a big risk, according to his agent Youn Bum. In the thriving economic driving force of South Korea lies a deeply-established racism.

Han reveals: “When I was playing with other kids at school, some mothers whisked them away from me, saying things like, 'Don't play with a kid like that',' said Han. As a biracial child, he was regularly embarrassed in public, an elderly woman once asked him: 'What are you doing in someone else's country?' He revealed he hated his looks then and wanted to disappear. Han found refuge in Itaewon, where many of the city’s biracial children grow up. “In Itaewon, I had a lot of [half-Korean] friends like me, so that was good,” he says. “Even now, there are more and more.”

He began to have passion in fashion, getting involved in modelling auditions and posting his pictures on social media until his agent, Youn spotted the images. After seeing Han as a 14-year-old demonstrate his captivating stride on a Seoul street for five minutes, Youn enlisted him immediately. Han only began modeling in 2015, an agency found him on Instagram and arranged a meeting. “We met in Itaewon, actually, at Holly’s coffee shop,” he recalls. “They had me walk there; I walked, and the moment they saw me move, they signed me.”

While most Korean models go through a vigorous training, Han is entirely natural and self-taught, having watched many modelling  videos to learn how to stride. His smooth walk, cut cheekbones and long curling hair shaved into a soft hi-top fade will convince anyone that he was cut out for the walkway.  

He says being a fashion model has helped him build self-esteem remarkably. 'Now I enjoy being looked at by other people, instead of being ashamed or embarrassed.' He quipped. His dream is to become a role model for multiracial children. 'I want to be more successful, not just for myself but also for people whom I represent.'

 

After being  initially evaded by designers and magazine editors, some of whom dismissed the Han as 'bad luck', many designers and the media are now warming up to him. About a  handful of designers find Han's look exceptional and alluring, and he hit the runways at more than 30 shows at the two Seoul Fashion Weeks after his debut in 2015, which is an unusually high number for a novice.

Discrimination against biracial people is prevalent. Many are jeered at public transport for being 'dirty' or 'smelly', or refused entrance to fancy eateries or public baths. Mixed-race children are intimidated at school and frequently goaded as 'tuigi', a derogatory term that means cross-bred animals.

However, commentators on social media have warmed up to the teenage model. One remarked that he had such a good atmosphere around him and said he hoped Korea will open to more people like him.

We look forward to seeing Han make faster waves.