Group's Lightstick Banned Before Their Malaysia Concert

Last year, Korean hip-hop group Epik High shocked and amused fans with the release of their first lightstick, titled “Park Kyu Bong,” a playful pun that sounds like “F*ck You Bong” in Korean. It perfectly embodies the rebellious spirit that resonates with the group’s music and ethos. It’s even shaped like a hand giving the middle finger!

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A post shared by 에픽하이 타블로 | Tablo of Epik High (@blobyblo)

Yet, the lightstick was banned at a recent concert.

Epik High performed on August 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of their THE PUMP TOUR ASIA 2024.

Fans @bellaxchin and @wearefanklub on Instagram shared their live reaction to the announcement that Epik High’s lightstick was banned, adding the caption, “sorry to my favourite ahjussis, malaysians are banned from using the park-kyu bong.” They were told it was strictly prohibited to record or photograph with the lightstick or even use it during performance. The video went viral with 346K views at the time of writing.

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A post shared by Bells (@bellaxchin)

Yet, most netizens sided with the rule to ban the lightstick for the performance, as the middle finger is highly offensive in Malaysia. One can even be charged under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for insulting behavior for doing this gesture.

Some fans even agreed, believing that the cultural context should be respected. The main criticism is that the fans should have been informed earlier so they wouldn’t have bought the lightstick to go unused.