The Korea National Opera Union has released a statement of protest in response to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s (MCST) plan to relocate to the company to the provinces.

A letter signed by all members of the Korea National Opera Union was published in June 2025. The letter begins by condemning the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s plans for relocation of the opera company and “demands its immediate halt.”

The following points were highlighted in the union’s letter:

• Unilateral Notification Without Due Process
• Lack of Effectiveness
• Neglect of Livelihood and Rights
• A Grave Threat to the National Performing Arts Ecosystem
• Symbolic Acts Without Substance Are Doomed to Fail

The demands are as follows:

• MCST must immediately suspend its rash and irrational relocation initiative.
• Conduct an objective and independent review of the relocation’s feasibility,
  effectiveness, and cost-efficiency, and make the results fully public.
• Establish a substantial consultative body through a thorough collection of
  opinions from artists, staff, and cultural professionals.
• Ensure clear accountability and establish a transparent responsibility system in
  case of policy failure.
• Shift focus from physical relocation to sustainable regional collaboration,
  expanded touring performances, and increased support for regional culture and
  arts.
• Hold prior public hearings to prevent the waste of public funds and the collapse
  of the artistic ecosystem caused by this reckless policy.

The conclusion reads, “The relocation of the Korea National Opera is not a simple matter of moving physical space. It fundamentally threatens the continuity and integrity of the arts, the livelihoods of artists, and the identity and very purpose of a national cultural institution. Culture and the arts must not be subjected to regional balancing or political bargaining. Public, sustainable cultural policy is the only way to improve quality of life and pass on cultural assets to future generations. The Korea National Opera Union will resolutely resist this reckless relocation plan. The MCST must change course now and fulfill its responsibility to protect Korea’s artistic ecosystem.”

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