Singapore nightclub tells police Korean DJ's shows won't contain Buddhist elements amid calls for cancellation

SINGAPORE - The nightclub hosting a South Korean DJ who is known for dressing like a monk and bringing in elements of Buddhism in his shows has told the authorities that his performance here will not contain anything religious.

This comes after police spoke to the establishment, following calls by the Singapore Buddhist Federation that the shows should be cancelled.

The DJ, known as NewJeansNim, is due to perform at Club Rich Singapore in Middle Road on June 19 and 20.

The police said in a statement on Tuesday (May 21) that they had advised the nightclub to adhere to the conditions of their public entertainment licence.

According to these licence conditions, 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, said the police.

They added that NewJeansNim's shows "may be in violation of this condition", given the nature of the planned performance.

The nightclub has told the police that it will keep to licencing conditions and ensure "the performance will not involve any elements associated with religion, be it in the attire, hand gestures, artefacts, songs and lyrics", said the statement.

"The police are committed to ensuring strict adherence to licencing conditions, and any breaches will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law. Operators found to be in breach of the licencing conditions may have their licences revoked," said the police.

The Singapore Buddhist Federation had earlier called on the authorities not to approve any performances by NewJeansNim.

In a Facebook post on May 19, the federation said DJ NewJeansNim 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.

Government leaders have said incorporating such religious elements into the performances would be considered offensive to Buddhists and are unacceptable.

"Police have told the nightclub owners that action will be taken, if the performance proceeds. They understood our position, and have agreed to co-operate," said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam in a Facebook post on May 22.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said in a Facebook post on May 21 that there are "clear rules" for what can or cannot be staged at public entertainment performances.

"The rationale is very clear; we live in a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society, we respect each other, and we take steps to protect our social cohesion," said Mr Tong.

"We take a very serious view of acts which denigrate religion. This is an offence, and cannot be tolerated."

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