A Vietnamese woman who did yoga in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace became controversial. Professor Seo Kyeong-deok’s SNS/VN Express homepage
While the actions of a Vietnamese woman who used the wall of Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace as a support to do yoga sparked controversy online, the government is taking measures to prevent such cases in the future.
Recently, a Vietnamese tourist caused controversy by doing yoga movements in full body leggings in front of the stone wall road next to Gyeongbokgung Palace and posting them on his social networking service (SNS). VN Express, a local Vietnamese media outlet, also reported the behavior of a woman who committed such an act at a historical site in Korea.
In response, Korean and Vietnamese netizens strongly criticized it, saying, “It is inconsiderate,” “Respect for cultural heritage is necessary,” “Inappropriate attire in public places,” “This is behavior that does not make common sense,” and “What did you want to show that you did this?” The Vietnamese woman who was involved protested that her actions did not violate the regulations and that it was due to differences in preferences.
In response to this, Professor Seo Gyeong-deok of Sungshin Women’s University, a Korean public relations expert, pointed out on his SNS on the 6th, “Gyeongbokgung Palace is a national heritage representing the Republic of Korea, and such an act of leaning against the wall raises the risk of ‘damaging cultural assets.'” He also said, “You are free to practice yoga in any country or region, but leaning directly on another country’s cultural assets is clearly wrong,” and added, “Gyeongbokgung Palace officials must stop this kind of thing from happening in the future.”
Panoramic view of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Palace Relics Headquarters website
So, is it possible to pay attention to or stop this woman’s actions?
According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, when visiting the four major palaces (Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, and Deoksugung Palace), you must follow the regulations regarding viewing the palaces and tombs. According to Article 6 of the regulations, entry is restricted to those who possess sports equipment, amusement equipment, musical instruments, or loudspeakers, or who may interfere with the viewing of others by drinking, dressing, engaging in shamanic practices, speaking in dialect, disorderly morals, or other inappropriate behavior. Viewing may be suspended.
However, the Palace Ruins Headquarters of the National Heritage Administration is in the position that there is no basis for stopping the controversial woman because the place where she did the yoga movements and took the photo was on the stone wall road outside and does not fall within the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Even if it is an external wall, if there is physical shock rather than simple physical contact, the person is stopped and reported to the police when discovered. However, there appears to be a difference of opinion as to whether this woman’s actions amounted to physical contact or physical shock.
The authorities plan to prepare measures to prevent incidents like this from repeating outside the palace in the future. An official from the Palace Relics Headquarters said, “If we discover any behavior that is unsuitable for the image of the palace, we will take corrective action.” He added, “There are provisions for restricting entry and suspending viewing, but there are no specific provisions like this case, so if necessary, we will reflect this in the relevant regulations.”
Reporter Kim Eun-hye ehkim@nongmin.com
2024-11-07 02:40:00