A viral video posted by a fan of colour has ignited online debate after she shared what she described as a deeply uncomfortable encounter with Choi Woo Shik during the Ami Paris show at Paris Fashion Week.
Despite being visibly offended by the experience, the fan carefully walks viewers through the moment without rushing to label it. She explains that she stood at the barricade specifically to see the actor, holding a handmade poster and sign, only to be seemingly ignored while others around her received autographs.
Most artists move within a tight schedule, but the rare few go the extra mile to stop and show some love to their fans. With time constraints as a constant variable, there's always a possibility of unintentionally skipping someone. Given this, was the Parasite actor actually displaying an act of racism or was he simply rushing to sign whatever he could in a sea of fans?
The bigger question hanging in the pop culture sphere might be: Is Choi Woo Shik on the brink of being cancelled or merely a victim of a huge misunderstanding?
Racism or Simply a Race Against the Clock?
'I don't default to saying weird, uncomfortable situations happen because of... racism', the fan in question said at the start of the video. 'But what happened was so strange that your girl is still shaken.'
According to her account, the actor approached her section, stood directly in front of her, and signed items for fans beside and behind her, while avoiding eye contact and skipping her entirely.
'He signed everybody else's stuff. Except for mine', she recalled.
What left her unsettled went beyond simply being overlooked. Instead, she highlighted that the way it happened was the primary source of her discomfort.
'He came right in front of me, signed all around me, and then left, almost as if it's like, 'You're not allowed to be here. You're not allowed to be my fan'.
damn choi wooshik pic.twitter.com/jla6cmIbbz
— BOD #1 Watcher is Walking On Memories (@28392535I) June 25, 2026
The moment was apparently followed by silence from the surrounding crowd. 'All the girls around me stayed silent. It was literally this awkward silence... like, girl.'
While she stopped short of making a direct accusation, she admitted the experience left her questioning possible factors. 'I don't know what his reason for doing that was... whether it's classism, whether it's racism, whether it's unconscious bias.'
By the end of the video, her tone made a leap from confusion to resignation, recounting how she asked her aunt and cousins for their opinion on the incident.
'I was like, am I weird? What happened? Do you guys also think... what do you guys think?' she said. 'And if it's generally because I'm Black. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. I can't take off my skin. So if you want to be this man's fan, probably don't have darker skin because I don't think he likes it.'
Online Reactions: Divided and Loud
As the video gained traction, reactions across social platforms quickly split into two camps.
Some viewers on Reddit saw the incident as a clear example of exclusion.
'That's not being busy, that's intentional', one commenter wrote. 'You don't skip the only person holding a sign for you.'
Another added, 'It's the eye contact avoidance and the deliberate ignoring. That's what makes it uncomfortable.'
Others, however, urged caution before drawing conclusions.
'He's a public figure at a packed event. He can't sign everything', one user argued.
Another wrote, 'People are jumping to conclusions. We don't know what was going on in that moment.'
One Less Fan to Impress?
Regardless of the intent, the reaction this event sparked is telling.
Fan culture thrives on proximity; a smile, a signature, a shared second of acknowledgment. These are small gestures, but they carry disproportionate meaning, especially in spaces where access is curated and limited.
In environments like Fashion Week, where visibility is currency, being seen is part of the experience. The difference between being missed and being avoided is not always visible on camera, but it is definitely felt in real time.
On 28 June, Choi took to Instagram to share his side of the story saying: 'Sorry if I missed you! I tried to sign as many autographs as I could, but time was just too short. I really hope we can meet again next time! :)'
Given the high-energy premise of Paris Fashion Week versus the attention allotted to fans are imperative to a successful showbiz career, it remains to be seen whether the public has been appeased or if Choi Woo Shik now has one less fan to impress.
In fan culture, being missed is a common occurrence, nothing to be taken personally. However, being remembered for how you were missed is a whole other story. On the bright side, the actor acknowledged the situation and performed damage control in a situation that was quickly spiralling out of control.
