On April 30, the Chuncheon District Court in South Korea ruled that Kangwon National University’s cancellation of the performance by the Shen Yun Art Troupe from the United States was illegal. Eventually, the Shen Yun Art Troupe’s performance in South Korea was able to proceed smoothly.
According to a report on Minghui Network on May 5, Kangwon National University had approved the Shen Yun Art Troupe’s performance at the Baeckryung Art Center from May 6 to 7. The event was organized by Epoch Media Korea, the host for the show in South Korea.
Subsequently, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea lodged a protest with the university’s Office of International Affairs, conveying the Chinese government’s opposition to hosting the Shen Yun Art Troupe’s performance. On April 16, the university officially notified the organizers of the performance that the venue’s permit had been revoked.
In the accompanying documents, Kangwon National University stated that with over 500 Chinese students on campus, negative sentiments towards the Shen Yun performance among these students were escalating. Concerns were raised that proceeding with the show could trigger protests by the students, potentially leading to conflicts. As a result, the university decided to cancel the performance in order to maintain public order.
Internal sources revealed that the theater had no legitimate reason to cancel the show, but under pressure from higher authorities such as the South Korean Ministry of Education and Kangwon National University, the venue permit was ultimately revoked.
In response, representatives from the organizers of the Shen Yun performance, the South Korean Falun Dafa Association, indicated that they had evidence of the Chinese Embassy and the South Korean government’s involvement in the cancellation of the performance. They have written to the South Korean Minister of Education demanding an investigation into the government officials involved in the matter and measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.
Additionally, the organizers sought interim injunction relief against the Republic of Korea, the owner of Kangwon National University, to prohibit interference with the use of the performance venue. On April 30, the court ruled that Kangwon National University’s cancellation of the performance was illegal. Finally, the Shen Yun performance was able to proceed successfully.
The court stated in its ruling: “From 2007 to 2024 (except for 2021 and 2022), Shen Yun Art Troupe has held multiple performances annually in South Korea. Especially in 2017, two successful performances were held at the Baeckryung Art Center without any demonstrations or conflicts.”
The ruling emphasized: “Although the theater feared protests or conflicts with Chinese students and the audience during the show, without submitting concrete evidence supporting these claims, solely relying on vague concerns makes it difficult to deem the cancellation as within a reasonable scope of discretion. Therefore, the university president’s revocation of the venue permit constituted an abuse of discretion and was deemed illegal.”
Regarding the court’s ruling, the Secretary-General of the South Korean Falun Dafa Association, Wu Shilie, stated: “This judgment effectively declares that the Chinese Communist Party and its embassy, which have obstructed Shen Yun Art Troupe’s performances for the past 18 years, interfering in South Korea’s internal affairs and infringing on its cultural sovereignty, have acted illegally.”