Dami Im the subject of racist tweets after winning Channel 7's X Factor last night

X FACTOR winner Dami Im was subjected to vile racist tweets last night, with some suggesting the Korean-born singer shouldn't have won because of her nationality.

TWITTER was flooded with fans who rushed to defend X Factor winner Dami Im last night after the South Korean-born singer was criticised by some on the social media site.

Those who believed Im was not worthy of winning the crown because "it's not Australian X Factor if an Asian wins" were quickly silenced by a barrage of viewers who gave Im the adoration and support she deserved.

Attacking Dami as Australia's X Factor winner because she is Asian makes you less of an Australian than you claim she is.... #xfactorau

Can't people just be happy for Dami? Who cares if she's Asian? Ethnicity has nothing to do with singing ability 😒 #xfactor

so many racist peoplee man! fair enough if you dont like her voice or whatever, but dami being asian doesnt make her any different than us

The X Factor winner told News Corp she was "so thankful" for those who came to her defence.

"Some people can be really racist. There's people like that in every country but most people have stood up for me and I didn't have to say a word. There's more good people who respect me than there are that call me 'the Asian'. I have been so lucky and I am so thankful."

In less then 24-hours Im's song is already number one on iTunes, further silencing her critics.

Sony Music Australia, who has signed the rising star, say they are "thrilled" to be releasing her self-titled debut album.

"Our winner, Dami Im, is a unique talent and much-loved by the public. She is now working with the best in the business with Denis [Handlin] and his team at Sony", Ian Hogg, CEO Fremantle Media Australia & Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

The 25-year-old, who moved to Australia with her family at the age of eight, beat out Taylor Henderson and Jai Waetford to become the winner of The X Factor for 2013.

The Brisbane-based piano teacher was a clear favourite heading into the finale after delivering five knockout performances and receiving several standing ovations throughout the competition. Experts even predicted she has what it takes to become our first Asian-Australian pop star.

But that didn't stop some racist lowlifes from showing once again just how appalling social media can be.

this is Australian X factor not bloody ASIAN factor

i'm not being mean, but it'll be kinda unfair if dami wins xfactor i mean she's not even australian, english isn't even her first language

A maiden wins the cox plate and an asian wins the Xfactor, what is this world coming to? @49arsenal @christopherash3 @garrykissick @amcqu2

Im was elated when she was announced as the winner, saying, "I don't believe that I've won, this is crazy! I want to win this for people like me who are dags and inspire them to dream big!" A worthy winner with a worthy dream. We salute you Im.

As part of the win, Im is guaranteed a lucrative recording contract with Sony Music and a management deal.

Channel 7 and Sony have been contacted for comment.

Three reasons we love Dami:

- Her winning single Alive was released on iTunes last night and is already number one in Australia.

- Dami was originally eliminated during the bootcamp round, but was recalled when Matt Gresham withdrew from the competition.

- Dami's adoring husband Noah was present at nearly every live show and says the moment he heard his wife sing at a karaoke bar, he knew she was destined for stardom.

Fans can chat with Dami Im on our live X Factor winner blog at 1pm AEDT today.

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