A screenshot of the Sukan Star TV video, titled ‘Perempuan melayu dicabul atas pentas oleh mat kpop semalam’ (Malay girls molested on stage by K-Pop artists last night). — YouTube videograb

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Korean pop artistes from the Christian-majority nation may be using their music to covertly spread the religion, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) said today following claims Malay girls were “molested” by one such band.

In an article on their official website, Isma alleged that many K-Pop artists are secretly “church activists” and have been directly involved in proselytisation programmes abroad.

The article provided no evidence to support the Isma’s assertions other excerpts and quotes from a blog run by A. Karim Omar- the secretary-general of another Malay NGO Pertubuhan Muafakat Sejahtera Malaysia (Muafakat).

“Most of them (K-Pop artists) were gospel church singers when they were in their teens before becoming popular.

“Some even say that the K-Pop genre is an evolution of the Korean Contemporary Christian Music (KCCM) which started in the 1970s,” Isma’s article quoted Karim as saying.

Karim also cited unsubstantiated research stating that almost 80 per cent of K-Pop artists are practising Christians.

“It is the only country in the region which has a majority Christian population.

“Until 2006, South Korea has the second largest population of Christian evangelists, trailing behind the United States, replacing United Kingdom before this,” Isma quoted Karim further.

The event organisers have denied claims that the artists had molested three tudung-clad Malay fans on stage last Saturday night, saying that they were against sexual harassment and that the event company was run mostly by women.

This was after thousands of angry Internet users took to Facebook to share and comment on a three-minute viral video of the artists hugging and embracing the Malay girls on stage.

In a statement posted on their official Facebook page, the event’s organiser, TGM Events, said the fans were picked at random based on questions that they posted on a message board with only their first name.

“As a company run primarily by women, we do not and never will condone molestation or sexual harassment as alleged by the media outlet.

“The terminology used was taken out of context and it is extremely disappointing to us to witness an act of such irresponsible journalism,” said the statement, referring to the video.

The clip, which was posted on the Sukan Star TV Facebook page, was suggestively titled “Perempuan melayu dicabul atas pentas oleh mat kpop semalam” (Malay girls molested on stage by K-Pop artists last night).

The video has since been shared over 19,000 times and attracted over 13,000 comments from viewers.

The event organisers will be summoned to meet officials from the Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) over the molest claims, according to the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha.