Mr. H Visiting Hanoi, Vietnam for Tourism
Defends 'Respect for Differences' Amidst Flood of Netizen Criticism
A Vietnamese female tourist has sparked controversy by posting on social media (SNS) a video of herself doing yoga in full-body leggings in the middle of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
A Vietnamese female tourist is taking photos of a woman doing yoga at Gyeongbokgung Palace. VN Express website
According to local media VN Express on the 5th (local time), H, a resident of Hanoi who recently visited Korea, filmed herself performing advanced yoga poses in leggings in front of the stone wall next to Gwanghwamun at Gyeongbokgung Palace on the 3rd, then uploaded the video to TikTok.
Netizens immediately criticized the video. One user pointed out, "Like the Hue Imperial City (a Vietnamese heritage site), this palace is a sacred place in their country (Korea)," adding, "His (H’s) behavior is disgraceful."
Another user scolded, "Yoga is good for health, but exposing the human body like this in public is insulting and rude," and added, "Moreover, this place is sacred and a symbol of Korean tourism."
However, H argued that the online criticism was excessive. He claimed that his actions did not violate any rules and that the Gyeongbokgung security guards did not warn him. He added, "Everyone has their own preferences, and we should respect differences."
Recently, there has been ongoing debate in Vietnam over doing yoga in public places. Last month, a TV news report showed women wearing full-body leggings doing yoga at the summit of Fansipan Mountain (3,147 meters above sea level) in northern Vietnam, which sparked controversy.
In May, 14 women in northern Thai Binh Province were caught taking photos while doing yoga in the middle of a road and were fined about 150,000 dong (approximately 8,000 won) each for illegal assembly and obstructing traffic.
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