Criticism mounts over Vietnamese woman doing yoga in leggings at Seoul palace

The undated photo shows a Vietnamese woman doing yoga at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. Captured from VN Express

Korean netizens and intellectuals are reacting negatively to photos of a Vietnamese female tourist practicing yoga in tight leggings at a historic royal palace in the center of Seoul.

The incident arose earlier this week when the woman shared photos on social media showing herself in a handstand yoga pose in front of Gyeongbok Palace, the main royal palace of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), during her recent visit to South Korea.

VN Express, a Vietnamese newspaper, carried a report on the controversial photos, triggering criticism from many social media users in both countries. According to the report, the woman defended herself, saying she was not cautioned by the palace’s security staff.

Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor of Seoul’s Sungshin Women’s University who is known for his efforts to promote Korean interests abroad, raised concerns about possible damage to the nation’s cultural properties.

“Vietnamese media pointed out that she acted inappropriately at a Korean historical site and South Korean netizens also criticized her,” Seo said on his social media.

“She is free to practice yoga in any country or region but it is clearly wrong to do yoga against the wall of cultural assets of other countries. Her alleged assertion that such conduct would not be a problem is wrong,” the professor said, urging Gyeongbok Palace officials to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

Many netizens agreed with Seo’s views, denouncing her act as “rude and offense.”

“Gyeongbok Palace is a national treasure of South Korea and it people. Her yoga done deliberately in front of the palace was clearly an insult to the Korean people,” a Yonhap News reader said in a comment.

Another reader asked the woman why she chose the palace though there are so many places to exercise, saying she should have observed basic order and manners.

Meanwhile, the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, a public institution affiliated with the Korea Heritage Service, said Thursday there is no legal basis to punish or stop the Vietnamese woman because the location where she practiced yoga is not within the grounds of Gyeongbok Palace.

The center noted that she could have been expelled from the palace in violation of palace tour regulations if she took photos of herself practicing yoga poses in yoga clothes inside the palace.

Nevertheless, the center said it will prepare countermeasures in case something similar happens again outside the palace in the future.

“We’ll take action if we discover any behavior that is not appropriate for the palace’s image,” the center said. “Police will be notified if any physical impact other than simple physical contact is applied to the wall of the palace.” (Yonhap)