In a win for Chinese dissidents, a court in South Korea has ruled that the cancellation of scheduled shows by Shen Yun Performing Arts under pressure from Beijing had violated the law, allowing the event to be held as planned.
Shen Yun, a classical Chinese dance company founded and run by adherents of the persecuted Chinese faith group Falun Gong, is based in New York and seeks to revive the cultural heritage of ancient China that existed prior to the misrule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its eight touring groups put on hundreds of critically acclaimed shows worldwide, reaching an annual audience of about 1 million.
On April 1, Kangwon National University, located in South Korea’s northeasternmost province, had approved Shen Yun performances to be held at the university’s Baekryeong Art Center. Shortly thereafter, the Chinese embassy to South Korea issued a protest with Kangwon University’s international affairs office, conveying Beijing’s objections to Shen Yun.
On April 16, the university issued an official letter to the organizer notifying them that the venue permit had been revoked.
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The CCP, which has tried to stamp out Falun Gong since launching a nationwide persecution campaign against the faith in 1999, sees Falun Gong as a grave threat to communist rule and ideology. It has long used its overseas influence to pressure theaters not to host Shen Yun performances, and has recently stepped up efforts to target Shen Yun itself.
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Owing to its close economic ties with Communist China, South Korea has been subject to years of CCP influence efforts, including multiple successful attempts to have theaters in the country cancel Shen Yun shows. Chinese embassy staff have often backed up their complaints by falsely claiming that Shen Yun is “not legal” in South Korea.
Cancellation reversed
In the afternoon of April 30, the Chuncheon District Court ruled that Kangwon University’s cancellation of the scheduled Shen Yun performances was illegal.
Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, the university’s namesake.
In its letter to the event organizers, Kangwon University had justified its cancellation by claiming that Shen Yun coming to the university would cause tensions involving the more than 500 Chinese students there. University authorities said they feared that the performance could trigger protests or other conflicts, and decided to cancel the show over concerns about maintaining order.
The Chuncheon court stated in its verdict that: “Shen Yun Performing Arts has held numerous performances in South Korea each year from 2007 to 2024 (except in 2021 and 2022). Notably, in 2017, two performances were successfully held at the Baekryung Art Center, during which no protests or conflicts occurred.”
The ruling added: “Although the theater management feared possible protests or clashes between Chinese students and audience members on the day of the performance, they failed to provide any concrete evidence to support such claims. Such vague concerns are insufficient to justify the cancellation of the event as a reasonable exercise of discretion. Therefore, the university president’s decision to revoke the venue approval constituted an abuse of discretion and was unlawful.”
Regarding the ruling, Oh Se-ryeol, Secretary-General of the Korea Falun Dafa Association, stated: “This ruling is essentially a public declaration by the court that the Chinese Communist Party and its embassy have, for the past 18 years, been illegally interfering with Shen Yun’s performances in South Korea — infringing upon the country’s cultural sovereignty and domestic affairs.”
As reported by Minghui.org, a U.S. website run by Falun Gong practitioners, an inside source said that there was no legitimate reason for Kangwon University to cancel the event. However, the decision was influenced by higher authorities, namely the South Korean Ministry of Education, that demanded Shen Yun be cancelled, per the source.
A representative from the Korea Falun Dafa Association said they had obtained evidence suggesting interference from the education ministry as well as the Chinese embassy.
The association had filed the case with the Chuncheon court, leading to the April 30 decision. Representatives also sent a letter to the Ministry of Education requesting an investigation to the cancellation and a plan for preventing such interference in the future. The Falun Dafa Association also visited the president’s office of Kangwon University to inform them of the cancellation’s illegality.
