“BLACKTENT”, a pop-up citizens’ theatre pitched in January on Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul, invites South Koreans to become “both the protagonist and the audience”. On a recent weekday evening, its 100-odd tickets sold out in minutes. Some of the audience had to sit on the stage to watch “Red Poem”, a play about sexual exploitation.
The head of the theatre troupe that produced it, Lee Hae-sung, is among 9,500 local actors, artists, writers, musicians, film directors and publishers included on an alleged blacklist of artists critical of President Park Geun-hye. Like many others on the list, Mr Lee says he has not received any state funding in recent years. Kim So-yeon, an art critic who helped set up “BlackTent” to protest against the blackballing, says the venue will continue to stage plays by shunned writers until Ms Park is removed from office.
News of the existence of the list—which a former culture minister, Yoo Jin-ryong, said this week was orchestrated by Kim Ki-choon, Ms Park’s former chief of staff and right-hand man—is yet another twist in a sensational influence-peddling scandal that led to Ms Park’s impeachment by parliament in December. That handed the constitutional court the responsibility for deciding whether to end Ms Park’s term early or reinstate her.
On January 21st a special prosecutor...Continue reading
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