G-Dragon Shirt Controversy: Agency Apologizes Over Racial Slur on Macau Stage Outfit

G-Dragon’s shirt controversy has drawn an official apology after the artist appeared on stage in Macau wearing clothing reported to include a Dutch racial slur. The incident occurred during K-SPARK in Macau on May 2, 2026, and G-Dragon’s agency, Galaxy Corporation, issued an apology the following day after criticism spread online. ¹

The controversy centers on a stage outfit worn at the Macau concert. Reports said the shirt carried an anti-Black slur in Dutch on the back, while other coverage said the front also included an offensive caricature of a Black person. ²

G-Dragon Shirt Controversy at K-SPARK in Macau

K-SPARK in Macau was scheduled for May 2, 2026, at 19:00 at the Macao Outdoor Performance Venue, with G-DRAGON, Daesung, P1Harmony, KISS OF LIFE, and KiiiKiii listed among the performers by the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau. ³ JS Concert Productions also listed the event as a May 2 concert at the Macau Outdoor Performance Venue with G-DRAGON, DAESUNG, P1Harmony, KISS OF LIFE, and KiiiKiii on the lineup. ⁴

The G-Dragon shirt controversy began gaining wider attention after images and clips from the performance circulated online. Soompi reported on May 3 that Galaxy Corporation apologized after G-Dragon performed at K-SPARK in Macau wearing a shirt with a Dutch racial slur on the back. ¹ Asian Junkie reported on May 2 that the shirt included an anti-Black Dutch slur, and later updated its post to note online claims that the same shirt had appeared in older footage; that point was presented as based on surfaced posts rather than official confirmation. ⁵

Koreaboo reported that the shirt was described as carrying a Dutch equivalent of the N-word and said social-media criticism also focused on the front design, which it described as including an offensive caricature of a Black person. ² The publication also noted that online users claimed the same shirt had appeared in older material, but the available source material does not include an official confirmation from G-Dragon or Galaxy Corporation about prior use.

The available reports do not specify who designed the shirt, whether it was personally selected by G-Dragon, or how it passed through stage wardrobe review. They also do not include a detailed explanation from the agency about the production or styling process behind the outfit. What is confirmed in the source material is the public criticism, the identification of the wording as a racial slur, and the agency’s public apology.

Galaxy Corporation Issues Apology

Galaxy Corporation responded on May 3, one day after the Macau performance. In its statement, the agency said, “We sincerely apologize for the inappropriate wording,” addressing the criticism over the shirt’s text. ¹

The agency also referred to “cultural sensitivity and responsible review” in its statement, language that framed the incident as a failure of oversight and sensitivity rather than a dispute over whether the wording was offensive. ¹ Galaxy Corporation further used the phrase “global respect and responsibility,” indicating that the company recognized the issue in an international context. ¹

The statement is the central official response currently available in the source material. No separate direct comment from G-Dragon is included in the provided reports, and the sources do not state whether any additional action was taken by the agency beyond the apology.

The controversy comes at a time when K-pop artists and agencies are under continued international scrutiny over styling choices, language, imagery, and cultural references used in global performances. In this case, the criticism focused not on a lyric, choreography, or promotional campaign, but on a specific garment worn during a large public concert. Because the wording was reported as a racial slur, the issue quickly moved beyond ordinary wardrobe criticism and became a question of cultural responsibility in a global entertainment setting.

The Macau event itself drew attention for reasons beyond the shirt. Sing Tao Headline reported that G-Dragon and Daesung appeared at the K-SPARK concert on May 2 and that about 30,000 fans attended, while its article focused on crowd disorder and fan altercations during the same event rather than the shirt controversy. ⁶ That separate reporting provides context for the scale and conditions of the concert, but it does not address the wardrobe issue.

What Is Confirmed and What Remains Unclear

The confirmed timeline is narrow. K-SPARK in Macau took place on May 2, 2026, at the Macao Outdoor Performance Venue. G-Dragon was among the listed performers. Reports published on May 2 and May 3 identified a shirt worn during the event as containing a Dutch anti-Black slur. Galaxy Corporation apologized on May 3. ¹

Several details remain outside the available record. The source material does not confirm whether the shirt was modified for the performance, who approved it, or whether any member of G-Dragon’s team recognized the wording before the concert. It also does not include a statement from the event organizer about the controversy.

The older-footage claim remains especially limited. Asian Junkie and Koreaboo both referenced online claims that the same shirt may have appeared previously, but the sources describe those claims as emerging from surfaced posts or social-media discussion rather than official confirmation. ^{2 5} For that reason, the only firmly sourced event in the current controversy is the May 2 Macau performance and the May 3 agency apology.

The G-Dragon shirt controversy now rests on a clear public record: the artist wore a shirt reported to contain a Dutch anti-Black slur during K-SPARK in Macau, criticism followed, and Galaxy Corporation apologized the next day. With no further official explanation included in the available source material, the agency’s apology remains the main confirmed response to the incident.

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Cloi Lee

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