(Minghui.org) The South Korean Falun Dafa Association held simultaneous press conferences in front of the Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong in Seoul and the Chinese Consulate General in Busan on the morning of February 29, 2024. They condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for obstructing Shen Yun Performing Arts and trying to prevent it from coming to South Korea.
Shen Yun is the world’s foremost Chinese classical dance company whose mission is to revive genuine and nearly extinct traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts. This is not just a performance, but a revival of China’s traditional culture and high standards before communism usurped power.
Since Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 and began touring the world, the CCP has used its economic and diplomatic influence to put pressure on theatres and has repeatedly prevented Shen Yun from performing in South Korea.
Kwon Hong-dae, president of the Korean Falun Dafa Association, issued a statement pointing out that the CCP is conducting united front-style infiltration into South Korea in different areas, such as politics, the economy, social events, and culture, in particular through manipulation and coercion by overseas Chinese associations and non-governmental organisations in South Korea, including “more than 50 groups such as the Korea-China Parliamentarian Alliance, Confucius Institute, Korea-China Cultural Association, Korea-China City Friendship Association, China International Cultural Exchange Centre, Korea-China Cooperation and Development Association, and so on.”
These groups pretend to be friendly exchange groups but their goal is to deceive Koreans, and one person manages more than ten of the above disguised groups.
The statement cited an example: The CCP uses Wu Mingyu, who claims to be a Christian, to send fake official letters to theatres in South Korea. She defames Shen Yun in the media and makes harassing protest calls. For many years, she has also planned protest activities targeting Shen Yun in front of performance venues across South Korea.
The statement pointed out that Wu Mingyu was officially awarded a medal by the CCP as an “important overseas activist” and that she played a leading role in the CCP’s slander and sabotage campaign.
In his statement, Kwon Hong-dae also said that the South Korean Falun Dafa Association filed a lawsuit against Wu Mingyu with the Seoul Central Police Agency for defamation, obstruction of official duties, and insult.
He also noted that the South Korean Falun Dafa Association issued a public petition to the South Korean government, requesting that the theaters blacklisted by pro-China groups be removed from the blacklist that prohibits Shen Yun from performing and that measures be taken to allow Shen Yun Performing Arts, which is an American company, to perform in South Korea.
Moreover, theater personnel are asked to immediately notify the South Korean Falun Dafa Association after collecting evidence of Chinese Embassy staffs’ efforts to interfere with Shen Yun performances.
The Chinese Embassy Violates the Vienna Convention
Dr. Wu Shilie, secretary-general of the South Korean Falun Dafa Association, said that Chinese embassy officials visited local governments and theatres without notifying the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and threatened local government leaders and theater managers not to rent their theaters to Shen Yun Performing Arts.
This interferes in South Korea’s internal affairs and violates Article 42 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states that diplomats shall not interfere in the internal affairs of the host country (local) and must consult with the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs when conducting diplomatic activities. The behavior of CCP embassy officials in interfering with culture and art highlights the fact that the CCP is a rogue group.
Dr. Wu also noted that the CCP has been systematically destroying China’s five thousand years of traditional culture since it took power in 1949. The CCP interferes with Shen Yun out of jealousy and cultural inferiority.
The press conference lasted about one and a half hours and drew the attention of Chinese tourists and locals. After the press conference, representatives from the South Korean Falun Dafa Association delivered a letter to the Chinese Embassy, and submitted petitions to the South Korean President’s Office, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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