Woman barred from Buddhist temple over tattoos draws cold response: 'Saunas probably won't let you in either'

A Buddhist temple in Busan's Gijang-gun has been accused of turning away a visitor because of her tattoos.

The claim surfaced Friday on the social media platform Threads, where a post describing the incident at Haedong Yonggungsa drew widespread attention.

The author, identified only as A, said she was removing her shoes to enter the main hall when a temple attendant waved her off and told her she could not come in. "I was wearing shorts, so I thought it might be a dress-code issue," she wrote, adding that she had tried wrapping an outer garment around her waist before attempting to enter.

When she asked whether her shorts were the problem, the attendant replied, "That too, but it's also because of the tattoos."

"The look she gave my tattoos and the gesture trying to usher me out left a very unpleasant impression on me," A wrote.

A said she understood that temples have dress codes and etiquette for worshippers, but questioned whether barring tattooed visitors was an official policy at Haedong Yonggungsa. She called for the temple to clarify whether such a rule is clearly communicated to visitors in advance, and whether there are specific criteria based on the number or size of tattoos.

She added that she had visited the temple in good faith, hoping to find peace of mind, and that being turned away for an unexpected reason had left her feeling worse than before. She again called for the temple to disclose its official rules.

The post, however, drew a cold response from other users.

After viewing photos of A's tattoos on her social media profile, commenters were largely unsympathetic. "At that level, psychiatric treatment should come first," one wrote. "That's pretty extreme," said another. "I was about to write that I'd never heard of anyone being barred from a temple hall over tattoos — then I saw the photo and changed my mind in one second." Others added, "With tattoos like that, I think saunas and swimming pools would turn you away too."

In the photos, A's arms and legs are covered densely with tattoos. Particularly notable is an image on her left thigh depicting two nude women seated side by side.

One commenter told A directly: "Just as it's your freedom to get tattoos, it's their freedom not to let you in. If you don't like it, remove them, cover them up, or don't visit religious sites. If you want to ask whether there's an official rule, contact them directly. Why are you trying to stir up controversy?"

A replied in the comments that she had been a Buddhist for 20 years and had visited many temples across South Korea without ever being stopped over tattoos or clothing. She said she had already called Haedong Yonggungsa and received the response, "I wonder why the attendant did that." She added that she had written the post simply to find out whether others had had similar experiences of being turned away from a temple over tattoos or attire.