Recently, a girl group sparked controversy on one of China’s most popular SNS platforms, Weibo. In particular, a video of the girl group’s performance at a temple has surfaced online, earning the No.2 spot on Weibo’s hot search list.
The video shows a girl group executing a choreography in bold, revealing K-pop outfits directly in front of three large Buddha statues, with an audience seated below, wearing what appears to be prison uniforms. When the video spread from South Korea to other Asian countries, many mistakenly believed it was a K-pop girl group. In reality, it was simply a freestyle dance team. The most notable was their dance to the song “Eureka” by Zico featuring Zion.T.
The sight of the women wearing revealing outfits and performing suggestive dances in front of an all-male audience sparked widespread controversy. Some people argued that the dance group was no different from K-pop girl groups, noting that such performance attire is common in Korean pop culture. They felt the real issue was the inappropriate venue.
However, others viewed the situation more critically. Regardless of the location, they believed such provocative choreography was eye-offending and called for moderation, especially when performing at public events meant for community engagement, in this case, a cultural program held for prison inmates.
The video generated a large volume of discussion, with the majority of viewers criticizing the visuals as offensive, inappropriate, and hard to accept. The surreal combination of elements—religion, sensual dancing, and prison-like attire—left C-netizens both confused and outraged.
As the video spread, netizens flooded the comment sections with disbelief, leaving scathing words like below:
- Did Buddha ask to watch K-pop? This is spiritual enlightenment in reverse.
- In such a revered place… how are these women dressed like this and dancing shamelessly?
- Has the Korean entertainment industry finally hit rock bottom?
- I sincerely want to know how Korea treats its women and how come male inmates get to watch performances like this.
- Did Buddha ask to watch K-pop? This is spiritual enlightenment in reverse.
However, according to follow-up posts from more informed netizens, the event took place from April 7 to 8, 2025, at Huguo Ryeonwu Temple, located near the Korean Army Training Center. The group reportedly performed as part of a morale-boosting event. The “prisoner” uniforms worn by the audience may have actually been military-issued attire, not prison garb, suggesting the crowd was composed of soldiers in training rather than inmates.
Nevertheless, the image of provocative K-pop choreography in a religious space continues to stir debate. At the same time, many netizens insisted that while the provocative performance needs to be questioned, the girl group in context should not be criticized, seeing that they are likely an unpopular artist who likely can’t freely turn down offers. It is the organizers that should be under public condemnation.
