K-pop girl group Aespa have become a trending topic in South Korea after reports of the quartet being sexual harassed surfaced. On May 2, the group performed at Kyungbock High School, an all-boys secondary school in Seoul in South Korea, in celebration of the school’s 101st anniversary. Members of the audience swarmed the band members both during and after the performance, while photos and videos posted on social media have gone viral for sexual comments made about the four women. “I did everything but touch them,” reads one photo posted by a concert attendee. Another shows a boy with his face hidden taking a selfie next to one of the members, accompanied by a caption reading “Sex”. 🥺… pic.twitter.com/qd5MJPRYnh — 꽁 (@kkongrina) May 2, 2022 According to an initial statement issued by Kyungbock, the bad behaviour came not from the students but audience members without permission to be on the school’s premises. Following outrage by internet users, especially Aespa’s fans who are known collectively as “MY”, who questioned the claims, the school then issued a second statement acknowledging that its own students had acted inappropriately. The statement claimed the school would be taking action to educate its students. Aespa, who recently performed at high-profile US music festival Coachella , joins other acts under South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment who have performed at Kyungbock. SM founder Lee Soo-man is a Kyungbock alumni. The situation has raised further discussion of the treatment of female entertainers, and women in general in public spaces. South Korean women face immense gender inequality , and the country’s current president-elect, Yoon Suk-yeol, ran on a platform that many fear is antifeminist .