The Chinese Embassy in South Korea has repeatedly disrupted and obstructed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the performance venue it rented in South Korea. In response, the organizer, the Falun Dafa Association of South Korea, recently submitted a national supervision application to the National Assembly Secretariat.
The Falun Dafa Association of South Korea stated that the submission of the national supervision application to the National Assembly Secretariat is to prevent the Chinese Embassy in South Korea from illegally pressuring the KBS TV Hall and to defend South Korea’s cultural sovereignty.
The Secretary-General of the Falun Dafa Association of South Korea, Wu Shilie, said: “Last December, after the KBS TV Hall issued a venue rental announcement, the organizers of Shen Yun started applying for the performance venue. However, the KBS TV Hall not only did not inform us of the result, but also re-issued the venue rental announcement on the same date, clearly indicating that the KBS TV Hall intends to completely suppress the means adopted by the American Shen Yun Performing Arts.”
Wu Shilie stated: “The Chinese Embassy exerted pressure on the KBS TV Hall, threatening, through sending official documents or direct visits, that if Shen Yun performances were held, the relationship between KBS TV and China would be affected, and KBS TV’s export of TV dramas to China would also be significantly affected. This pressure made the KBS TV Hall succumb, blacklisting the Shen Yun Performing Arts and refusing to provide venue rentals.”
The KBS TV Hall had signed performance venue rental contracts with Shen Yun Performing Arts multiple times, but succumbed to pressure and unilaterally canceled the contracts. In particular, in 2016, the two parties signed a contract to hold four performances, but a third secretary from the Chinese Embassy instructed the KBS TV Hall to cancel the contract, which the hall subsequently did unilaterally.
Wu Shilie said: “We have been organizing Shen Yun performances in South Korea, enduring countless oppressions and interferences from the Chinese Embassy, but most citizens are unaware of these events. Through this national supervision request, we hope to inform more citizens of this fact, so that theater managers and local government officials involved in performance venue rentals can resist the pressure from China, treat Shen Yun Performing Arts fairly according to the law and regulations.”
The Falun Dafa Association of South Korea emphasized that the purpose of submitting the national supervision request is to hope that relevant personnel can uphold a just stance under pressure from China and protect South Korea’s cultural sovereignty.