K-Pop Latest News: Malaysian Girls In Trouble With Authorities for Hugging K-Pop Group B1A4

Islamic authorities in Malaysia have asked three teenage girls to present themselves in the investigation in Kuala Lumpur over their behavior with K-Pop stars B1A4.

The young Muslim fans have come under fire after a video footage showed the Korean band members hugging them. A band member also kissed one of the girls on top of her head.

The video showed the girls giggling while watching the show. The performances ended in friendly hugs, the BBC reported.

The three-minute video was posted online with the title "Malay girls molested on stage by K-Pop artists," which caused criticism against the girls.

The Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) said a probe is being held to look for possible violations of the Sharia law.

"The Jawi enforcement division has opened an investigation under Section 29 of the Syariah Criminal Offenses ( Federal Territories ) Act 1977 (Act 599 Indecent Acts in Public Places)," The Malaysian Insider quoted Jawi director Paimuzi Yahya as saying.

"Those who are involved are asked to come forward to help in the investigation," he added.

Those found guilty of violating the said provision face fines of not more than 1,000 RM Malaysian ringgit ($276.33 USD) or six months in jail or both.

WM Entertainment, the Korean band's agency, released a statement about the issue: "The event took place after consent from those who participated. The video in question was from the fan-meet's special corner 'Imitating famous moments in K-Dramas.'

"The atmosphere during the event was great and the MC asked the girls once more of their consent, being considerate of their Muslim culture. We understand that it could be perceived in such a way from certain perspectives and from now on we will take cultural differences into careful consideration in order to provide a more global fan-meet that all fans from different cultures can enjoy."

Islamic non-government organization Sisters in Islam (SIS) warned Jawi regarding its probe into the girls, saying the law is "unduly broad" and prone to abuse.

"Section 29 of the Syariah Criminal Offenses Act makes it a criminal offense for 'any person who contrary to Islamic Law, acts or behaves in an indecent manner in any public place....'" SIS program director Suri Kempe said in a statement.

"This provision is unduly broad and opens itself up to abuse because it can be widely interpreted to apply to any behaviour that the religious authorities deem indecent, apparently even retrospectively."