(Minghui.org) The South Korean Falun Dafa Association held press conferences during which members condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) interference with Shen Yun in South Korea on April 3, 2025, calling the CCP to cease its ruthless campaign of repression.
Practitioners did the Falun Dafa exercises in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul and read an open statement to Chinese ambassador Dai Bing and other staffers in both Korean and Chinese.
The CCP Regularly Interferes with Shen Yun
Shen Yun Performing Arts started its global tour in 2007 and performed in South Korea every year. But the Chinese Embassy has not stopped interfering. Pressured by the Chinese Embassy, theaters canceled contracts multiple times, leading to seven lawsuits. Five succeeded and the performance was held as scheduled. But two lawsuits against the national public broadcaster Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) failed, and the show was canceled. A court relied on the Chinese Embassy’s document to overturn the original verdict of the lawsuit against KBS in 2016, leading to cancellation of the show and sparking widespread criticism from the international community.
Chinese diplomats visit political, governmental, and theater circles every year and tell them to not lease the venue to Shen Yun. Such interference in South Korean internal affairs violates the country’s laws and this is a direct violation of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which stipulates that diplomats must abide by the laws of the host country and not interfere in its internal affairs.
Pressured by the Chinese Embassy in 2022, a pro-China presidential official issued an order to local governments to ban Shen Yun. Afterwards, all public and private theaters refused to lease venues to Shen Yun, which indicates the CCP’s influence has penetrated every corner of South Korean society.
Recently, at the behest of the Chinese Embassy, Woo Min-gyu (51 years old, a representative of the “Religion and Truth” group), a Korean who organizes protests against Shen Yun in front of venues every year, sent a slanderous letter to the theaters scheduled to hold the performance this year. Woo also repeatedly went to theaters to intimidate and harass the staff, attempting to prevent the venues from being rented to Shen Yun, which greatly troubled the theater managers. Woo is a key figure who harms the national interests of South Korea because he works for the CCP.
The CCP Continues to Interfere with Shen Yun
The CCP continues interfering with Shen Yun in the U.S., Taiwan and other countries. The CCP bribes overseas media and Internet influencers and urges them to publish negative reports, and even issues bomb threats and other intimidation to theaters around the world. Someone sent a threatening email to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC the day before the Shen Yun performance, claiming that a bomb was planted in the theater. After investigation, no explosives were found, but the theater and the artists were disrupted. In response, a White House spokesperson officially warned the CCP to not interfere with Shen Yun performances.
Similar bomb threats also occurred in Taiwan. Investigation found that the emails originated from an area near the Huawei Research Institute, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Shen Yun said that such threats were not just intimidation but a multi-purpose attack, which is of a psychological warfare nature, aiming to force the cancellation of performances, reducing attendance by creating panic, and exerting financial pressure by increasing security costs to theaters.
The Chinese Embassy Must Abide by the Host Country’s Law
The South Korean Falun Dafa Association emphasized in its statement that Falun Dafa is apolitical and respects orthodox religions such as Buddhism and Christianity. Falun Dafa is a practice of both mind and body. The statement pointed out that practitioners love China and traditional Chinese culture, but object to the CCP’s ideology which is anti-humanity and they condemn the CCP’s interfering with Shen Yun.
The statement called on the Chinese Embassy to stop directing cult members to protest in front of theaters. The association warned the Chinese Embassy staffers that if they continue their interfering with Shen Yun, the association would conduct a nationwide campaign with South Korean people to expel the Chinese ambassador. The statement urged the embassy staffers to abide by South Korean law and conduct proper diplomatic activity.
Appreciation for Support from All Circles
The Falun Dafa Association also express appreciation to the local South Korean government officials and theater-related personnel who support Shen Yun. It was said that a Chinese consulate official once asked a local government official to ban the Shen Yun performance, but the local official directly refused, “We only look at this from a cultural perspective.” Some local officials sternly warned Chinese embassy personnel, “Don’t come to us for this matter in the future,” and asked them to leave. During the recent impeachment of the South Korean president, many Chinese students participated in the impeachment rally because they followed the Chinese Embassy’s orders. This is a direct display of the CCP’s interference in South Korean internal affairs.
Press Conferences Held in Multiple Places Concurrently
In addition to Seoul, press conferences were also held in front of the Chinese Consulate Generals in Busan, Gwangju, and Jeju. Local Falun Dafa practitioners warned the Chinese consulate staffers to stop interfering with Shen Yun. The press conferences caught the attention of local people and tourists. Police understood the purpose of the press conferences and actively assisted in security.
Through the press conferences, the South Korean Falun Dafa Association condemned the CCP’s despicable behavior of interfering with Shen Yun at home and abroad, and said that it would not succumb to any pressure.
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