NewJeans, Ultimately Can't Go to Singapore... "No Agreement on Buddhist Elements"

Club Requests Use of Songs Without Religious Lyrics
NewJeans: "Must Use 2 Songs Related to Buddhism"

The Singapore club performance of comedian Yoon Sung-ho, known as 'Newjinsnim,' who performs Buddhist scripture remix DJing in monk attire, has ultimately been canceled.

On the 1st, the local media The Straits Times reported, citing the club owner, that the Newjinsnim club performance scheduled for the 19th-20th has been canceled. The club owner said, "We decided not to perform with DJ (Newjinsnim)," adding, "The cancellation occurred because the DJ insisted on using two songs containing Buddhist elements." He further stated, "We could not reach an agreement to change to songs without religious lyrics, so we plan to cancel the performance and issue refunds."

Comedian Yoon Sung-ho performed on stage at the "National Samsung Electronics Union Cultural Event" held in front of the Samsung Electronics headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 24th of last month.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Newjinsnim, with a shaved head, wearing a jangsam (monk's robe) and prayer beads, performs EDM (Electronic Dance Music) shows and is experiencing a second heyday. While he receives a grand welcome from the Buddhist community in Korea, such as performing the final stage of the Yeondeunnori (lantern play) held before Buddha’s Birthday, he faces backlash from Buddhist communities in some other countries.

Previously, he performed not only in Korea but also in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other places. The issue arose after his performance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 3rd of last month. When videos of Newjinsnim’s performance spread on social media, Malaysian Member of Parliament Wykasyong stated, "(Newjinsnim’s performance) is a misunderstanding of Buddhist values and teachings," and appealed to the Minister of Home Affairs to instruct immigration and police to block Newjinsnim’s entry to respect the sacredness. Due to such controversies, the additional performance scheduled for Malaysia on the 21st of last month was canceled.

In Singapore, the Buddhist Federation also urged the prohibition of Newjinsnim’s performance, and the police warned the club that they would take action if religious content was included in the show. K. Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs, stated regarding Newjinsnim’s performance, "It is insulting to the Buddhist community in Singapore and unacceptable." As the authorities took a hardline stance, the club intended to hold the performance without any religious elements, but since Newjinsnim’s side did not accept this, the performance was ultimately canceled.

Yoon Sung-ho received the dharma name 'Newjin' in a simplified ceremony from Monk Ohshim at Jogyesa Temple in November last year. 'Newjin' combines the English word 'New' and the Chinese character 'Jin (進),' meaning to move forward anew, and by adding 'nim' (monk), it also evokes a pun reminiscent of the girl group NewJeans.

'NewJeans-nim' Yoon Sung-ho appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' [Image source=YouTube channel 'You Quiz on the Tube' capture]

Yoon Sung-ho, who is experiencing a second heyday as Newjinsnim, has recently gained renewed attention through YouTube comments revealing a past traffic accident good deed. On a video of the tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block' featuring Yoon Sung-ho, a netizen left a long comment titled 'Yoon Sung-ho’s Good Deed.' The netizen wrote, "In 2016, I witnessed a traffic accident near Yeongdeungpo Station," and continued, "At a red light, the car behind crashed into the car in front, and Yoon Sung-ho got out of the front BMW." They added, "Despite the significant rear-end collision, Yoon Sung-ho did not get angry at the driver of the rear car but instead checked if they were okay and took care of the other party," and "He was very impressive as he said there was no need to file an insurance claim and told them to go on with leniency."

In response to this post, several netizens shared anecdotes such as, "I happened to meet him on the subway and asked for a photo; he kindly took a picture with his face close to mine, showing he is a truly nice person," and "About 10 years ago, I saw him eating alone at a rest area. I greeted him, and he recognized me, shook my hand, and bought walnut pastries from the snack corner to share with us. I still remember his warm smile from that time."