'Vatican Saja Boys': Online users compare Korean saint's statue to 'KPop Demon Hunters' characters
Published: 27 Aug. 2025, 14:58
Updated: 27 Aug. 2025, 21:22
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- KIM MIN-YOUNG
- [email protected]
![Reddit post that captures the statue of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon in front of the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/27/d4089d38-51dc-4cf9-8fcb-875a13450527.jpg)
Reddit post that captures the statue of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon in front of the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican [SCREEN CAPTURE]
As “KPop Demon Hunters” continues to enjoy global popularity on Netflix, an unexpected topic has gone viral online: the statue of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Korea’s first Catholic priest, at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Korean online communities buzzed on Tuesday with a post titled “Vatican troubled by KDH craze,” referring to the film’s acronym. The post featured a photo of the statue, which was installed in September 2023, captioned with the phrase “Vatican Saja Boys.”
The meme originated a day earlier on Reddit, where users pointed out the resemblance between the statue of Kim — depicted wearing a gat (Korean traditional hat) and dopo (traditional robe) — and the fictional idol group Saja Boys, which appears in “KPop Demon Hunters” dressed in costumes inspired by Korean reapers. The post included lyrics from the group’s song “Your Idol.”
“Even the pope couldn’t resist their influence,” an overseas user commented. Other comments continued, “As a Catholic, I smiled when I saw Korea’s patron saint statue become a viral meme” and “Technically, it should be Priest Boys.”
The statue of Kim holds historic significance as the first statue of an Asian saint to be installed at St. Peter’s Basilica.
![Still cut featuring the Saja Boys from the Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters" [NETFLIX]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/27/5b26904b-7e7f-420a-9a19-d03bc7b86cf2.jpg)
Still cut featuring the Saja Boys from the Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters" [NETFLIX]
Born in 1821 in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, Kim was ordained in Macau in 1845 and returned to Korea, where he was martyred the following year at the age of 25 during the persecution of Catholics. He was canonized as a martyr by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
Sculpted by Korean artist Han Jin-seop, the statue stands 3.7 meters (12 feet) tall and 1.83 meters wide, depicting Kim with open arms in a gesture of welcome, clad in traditional Korean attire. It is placed alongside statues of European saints such as St. Francis and St. Dominic.
The blessing ceremony took place on Sept. 16, 2023. The project was realized after Cardinal You Heung-sik, the first Korean to head a Vatican dicastery, proposed the dedication to Pope Francis in August 2021.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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