Upcoming performances by controversial South Korean DJ 'monk' at Singapore club cancelled

SINGAPORE - Upcoming performances by a controversial South Korean DJ at a local club have been cancelled due to the performer's insistence on playing two soundtracks with religious elements, the club said.

When contacted, Club Rich Singapore owner Jackie He told The Straits Times on Friday (May 31) that the decision to call off the event was made by both the club and the DJ, known as NewJeansNim.

"We (were unable to) come to an agreement and change to soundtracks without the religious lyrics," said Mr He.

The two contentious tracks contain elements of Buddhism, such as chants and the sounds of a gong.

The DJ, who infuses elements of Buddhism into his performances, was scheduled to perform at Club Rich Singapore in Middle Road on June 19 and 20.

Mr He said that patrons who have already paid will be fully refunded. The club is hoping to find a replacement for the DJ, he added.

News of the planned performances first drew criticism from the Singapore Buddhist Federation, who called for the authorities to reject any permits for the show.

The federation said in a Facebook post on May 19 that the DJ is not a monk and should not put on a monk's robe to perform, adding that it is against the Vinaya - a disciplinary code for monks.

ST had reported on May 20 that discussions were under way between the federation and Club Rich on the performances.

The federation's president, Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, told ST on May 31 that Mr He had told him about the shows' cancellation, and said that he appreciates the "good and firm decision" in maintaining harmony in Singapore.

"In the future, anyone who wants to hold a show in Singapore should respect our culture and all the religions here," said Ven Kwang Phing.

He also thanked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, both of whom had spoken out about the issue on Facebook.

In a post on May 22, Mr Shanmugam said that elements typically employed by the DJ in his performances, including using religious verses and a Buddhist prayer item, "would have been offensive to our Buddhist community" and that it is "not acceptable".

And in a post on May 21, Mr Tong said Singapore takes "a very serious view of acts which denigrates religion". "This is an offence, and cannot be tolerated," he said.

According to a police statement on May 21, Club Rich had said that it will keep to Singapore's licensing conditions and that the DJ's performance will not contain any element associated with religion.

This, after the police advised the nightclub to adhere to the conditions of its public entertainment licence, which states that the establishment must ensure that any public entertainment provided is not likely to be offensive to any race, religion, ethnicity or nationality, or potentially cause disharmony among different groups.

Buddhism is one of the main religions practised in Singapore. Among Singapore residents aged 15 years and above in 2020, 31.1 per cent identified themselves as Buddhists, according to the 2020 census.

The DJ, whose real name is Youn Sung-ho, was formerly a comedian. The 47-year-old is welcomed by South Korea's Buddhist community for promoting "young Buddhism", Reuters had previously reported.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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