Dalai Lama Officially Apologizes for 'Sexual Harassment Controversy' After Sticking Out Tongue at Boy

Child Rights Group Criticizes "Child Abuse"
"Innocently Teasing Nature" Explanation

The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, who was embroiled in controversy over allegedly 'sexually harassing' a boy at an official event, has finally apologized.

According to India's NDTV and others on the 10th (local time), the Dalai Lama was seen in a recently released video on social media kissing a boy on the lips, sticking out his tongue, and saying, "Lick my tongue."

The video was recorded at an event held on February 28 in the suburbs of Dharamsala city in northern India.

At the time, the Dalai Lama was seated on the podium, and a boy standing in front of him asked if he could hug him.

The Dalai Lama replied, "Okay," and the boy went up to the podium and hugged him. When the Dalai Lama pointed to his cheek, the boy kissed the Dalai Lama's cheek.

Photo by Twitter capture

Then, the Dalai Lama pressed his forehead against the boy's and lightly kissed his lips, sticking out his tongue and asking the boy to lick it before withdrawing it.

This scene took place in front of many officials and devotees, and applause and laughter erupted from the audience.

However, after the video was released online, there was fierce criticism that the Dalai Lama's behavior was inappropriate. Many netizens harshly condemned it, saying, "What did I just see? It's disgusting."

Regarding this incident, 'Haq,' a child rights organization based in Delhi, India, issued a statement condemning 'all forms of child abuse.'

Dalai Lama [Photo by Yonhap News]

The organization told the American CNN, "Some news outlets mention Tibetan culture of sticking out the tongue, but the behavior in this video is not a cultural expression, and even if it were, it is unacceptable."

Amid the serious public backlash, the Dalai Lama's office released an official statement and apologized.

In the statement, the Dalai Lama expressed, "I want to apologize to the boy, his family, and all friends around the world." The statement added, "The Dalai Lama often playfully teases people innocently in public places and in front of cameras, but he regrets this incident."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time the Dalai Lama has been involved in a sexual harassment controversy. In 2019, he apologized after causing controversy by saying in an interview with the British BBC that a woman must be "attractive" to be his successor.

The Dalai Lama escaped from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in 1959 to avoid pressure from China, established a government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India, and continued a nonviolent independence movement. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of these efforts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.