Popular Star’s “Chilling” Wedding Photos Trigger Controversy
Choi Jun Hee, the 23-year-old daughter of the late Choi Jin Sil, is set to marry on May 16 at a hotel in Gangnam.
Her fiancé is an office worker, 11 years her senior, whom she has dated for 5 years.
The couple has already sparked some controversy due to the age gap and Choi’s age when they started their relationship.
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However, ahead of the wedding, pre-wedding photos of the couple have sparked unexpected backlash online.
The photos show the couple posing affectionately in wedding attire at what appears to be a site filled with small stone statues dressed in red bibs and surrounded by toys and offerings. While the setting may look picturesque at first glance, many netizens quickly pointed out its deeper meaning.
Based on a viral post, the statues are associated with mizuko kuyō, a Japanese memorial practice honoring miscarried or stillborn children.
지장보살 앞에서 웨딩사진을 찍네, 저 돌석상이 저렇게 모여있는 경우엔 水子供養(미즈코쿠요우)라고 해서 유산, 사산된 아이들을 위령하는 의미를 가지고 있음 저렇게 빨간 턱받이 해주고 장난감 주는게 다 부모가 빛을 못 보고 죽은 아이를 위해 해준건데 웨딩사진의 배경이 되기엔 소름돋는게 맞음; https://t.co/df59BXQkik
— 붐바 (@bumba_ong_) February 15, 2026
They’re taking wedding photos in front of Jizō Bodhisattva. When you see stone statues gathered like that, it usually refers to mizuko kuyō, a ritual to memorialize miscarried or stillborn children. The red bibs and toys are offerings from parents for children who passed away before they could see the light of day. It’s honestly chilling for that to be the background of wedding photos.
— Netizen via X
Although tourists often take pictures at similar sites without knowing the background, many argue that the couple and the photographers should’ve done more research.
- “Didn’t they do any research beforehand? Oh dear…”
- “The meaning is a bit…”
- “Wow…”
- “I guess they just thought it looked pretty and didn’t know what it meant.”
- “This is honestly the worst possible place for newlyweds to take photos.”
- “Oh no…”
