Tourist doing yoga in front of Gyeongbokgung stirs debate

Photos of a woman practicing yoga in green leggings in front of Gyeongbokgung in Seoul have stirred up debate online.

The incident occurred when a woman, 37, from Hanoi, Vietnam shared photos on TikTok showing herself doing a yoga handstand pose in front of the stone wall surrounding Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), during a visit to Seoul, Sunday.

The photos went viral on social media, drawing criticism for being "rude," "disgraceful" and "offensive," with one comment chastising her for "displaying her body in such a manner" in public.

VnExpress International, an English-language Vietnamese online newspaper, then carried a report with one of the photos on Monday, which was picked up Tuesday by major Korean media outlets such as Chosun Ilbo, Yonhap, MBC and JTBC.

Some Korean comments condemned her action as "shameful" and attention-seeking. One raised concerns about a photo of the woman doing a handstand leaning against the stone wall potentially damaging it.

Other Korean comments defended her, with one saying, "Korea is a free and democratic country, so you can practice yoga without any worries," and, "Practice more."

In response, the woman defended herself saying that her actions did not violate any rules, nor did the palace staff warn her she was doing anything wrong, according to VnExpress International. “Everyone has their own preferences, and we should respect differences,” she was quoted as saying.

In response, Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, who is known for promoting Korean culture and history overseas, wrote on Facebook that her action could potentially amount to "cultural property damage."

“You are free to practice yoga in any country or region, but it is clearly wrong to lean directly on another country’s national cultural property,” he wrote, calling on the palace officials to prevent recurrence.

The Korea Heritage Service Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, which manages Korea’s royal palaces, on Thursday said there are no grounds to stop the woman, as the action had taken place outside the palace grounds. It nonetheless noted that, had the similar action taken place inside the palace, she might have been asked to leave.

Under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and related regulations, a visitor to one of the four major palaces can be expelled if their conduct interferes with others’ enjoyment of the site, including via their attire or other inappropriate behaviors.

The center said that it will prepare measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring outside the palace in the future, including possible disciplinary action if needed.