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| A group holds a protest rally at Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, Tuesday, condemning the government for creating a blacklist of over 9,000 artists. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A group of cultural figures held a rally Tuesday to protest a blacklist containing the names of over 9,000 artists that Cheong Wa Dae allegedly created to disadvantage those critical of the government.
Artists from the visual arts, film, music, theater and other cultural endeavors issued a declaration at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, condemning the government for blacklisting those artists perceived to be critical of the Park Geun-hye administration.
Accompanied by a series of performances demonstrating against government censorship, the artists recited a declaration saying the blacklist was essentially the same thing as the crackdown on artists during the military dictatorships.
"The government has controlled and managed artists based on the blacklist," the statement said. "The government has discriminated against artists using the blacklist when it allocates subsidies and state events."
The non-governmental organization Culture Action led the protest.
They called for a thorough investigation of people who drew up the blacklist, including a National Assembly hearing, and the punishment of the person in charge.
During a parliamentary audit of government offices earlier this month, poet-turned-lawmaker Do Jong-hwan of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) claimed that the presidential office created the blacklist containing thousands of artists and cultural figures and sent it to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, based on information he recovered from the minutes of meetings of the Arts Council Korea.
There are allegedly four sections on the blacklist which includes 9,473 artists in total ― 594 artists who opposed the government enforcement ordinance about the Sewol ferry disaster; 754 writers who signed their names on a statement calling for the government to take responsibility for the disaster; 6,517 artists who declared their support for then-opposition candidate Moon Jae-in during the 2012 presidential election; and 1,608 artists who supported Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon during the 2014 mayoral election. Both Moon and Park are leading presidential candidates.
However, Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun denied the existence of such a list during the audit.
The artists will continue to protest through another rally in November and host an awards ceremony for the blacklisted artists in December.
Meanwhile, actors held another protest at Marronnier Park in Seoul's theater district of Daehangno, Tuesday evening. Some 80 theater-related organizations and troupes also issued a statement against the blacklist.
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