Last Friday, Lilliput Church of England Infant School in Poole, Dorset, sent a message to parents saying that students should not sing songs from the hit movie KPop Demon Hunters at school “out of respect for those who find the themes at odds with their faith.”
One parent told the BBC: “I thought it was ridiculous. My daughter is very into K-pop and her and all of her little friends love it.” He explained that some of the students do performances at after-school clubs, saying: “It’s just a harmless, a nice little thing for them to do to get their confidence up.” He said the school has never made a request like this before and described it as “a bit of an imposition and probably a bit unfair and silly.”
Apparently several other parents felt similarly and informed the school that their ban on kids singing popular songs was a bit much because on Monday, the school issued another statement:
Thank you to those parents who have shared your thoughts around the positive themes you see in K – Pop Demon Hunters and its music. We completely agree that values like teamwork, courage, and kindness are important for children, and it’s clear from your feedback that many of you feel songs like Golden have helped your children learn about these themes.
While we fully respect your right to make choices about the content your child engages with at home, we also want to be mindful of the diversity of beliefs within our school community. For some Christians, references to demons can feel deeply uncomfortable because they associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness. From their perspective, even fictional or playful use of this language can conflict with their faith, which emphasises rejecting evil rather than engaging with it – even in entertainment.
This is a valuable opportunity to explore the diversity of beliefs within our community and consider how we can support those of faith who find these themes challenging – particularly as we are a faith school, chosen by many parents for our commitment to fostering and upholding a Christian ethos. However, we want to reassure you that we are not asking parents to tell their children that there is anything wrong with enjoying the film or its songs if it aligns with your own views and beliefs, and this will not be the messaging we share in school either. Our role will simply be to help children understand that some of their peers may hold different views and to explore how we can respect and support those peers in upholding their faith.
Thank you again for your understanding and for those of you who shared your perspective with us in such a sensitive and constructive way. If you have any further questions or would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
In other “UK be KPDH haters” news, last week BAFTA ruled that KPop Demon Hunters is ineligible for any nominations because films are required to have a theatrical release. Under “exceptional circumstances,” the Film Committee may allow entries that have been made available to the UK public through other distribution models, such as event cinema.
Netflix appealed under this clause, arguing that the film’s event-style theatrical runs in August and October warranted consideration. BAFTA’s Film Committee rejected the appeal, stating that the film failed to achieve the minimum requirement of “at least 10 commercial screenings in the U.K. for at least seven days in aggregate.”