Despite Controversy from Gumi, All Seats Sold Out... Lee Seunghwan's Gimhae Concert Scheduled as Planned

Debate Among Citizens Over Lee Seunghwan's Concert

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk Province has sparked controversy by canceling singer Lee Seung-hwan's concert, but the Lee Seung-hwan concert scheduled to be held on the 29th in Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, will proceed as planned despite the ongoing debate.

The Gimhae Cultural Tourism Foundation announced on the 26th that the Lee Seung-hwan 35th Anniversary Concert "Heaven," scheduled for 5 p.m. on the 29th at the Maru Hall of Gimhae Culture and Arts Center, will proceed as planned. Currently, all 1,350 seats for this performance are sold out.

Singer Lee Seunghwan. Instagram

However, on the city’s homepage, posts both supporting and opposing the concert have appeared on the "Requests to the Mayor" bulletin board, especially around the time of Gumi City's cancellation of Lee Seung-hwan's concert. For example, a citizen identified as Lee posted, "Unless those who booked tickets for the Lee Seung-hwan concert request cancellations, the concert should proceed." He added, "Those requesting the cancellation probably did not book tickets. If they did book tickets, they could just cancel their own tickets and not attend. Why cancel the concert over safety concerns? Those who booked months ago and have been looking forward to it want to enjoy the concert itself regardless of political views," emphasizing his point.

On the other hand, another citizen named Son stated, "Lee Seung-hwan's concert is not just a music concert but a political propaganda concert," and said, "I strongly demand the cancellation of Lee Seung-hwan's concert, which is aimed at inciting the public. Otherwise, to prevent division among citizens, please require a pledge that no political statements will be made." A total of 65 posts related to Lee Seung-hwan have been posted on the bulletin board.

In response, the foundation acknowledged some disputes over the Lee Seung-hwan concert but maintained the principle of handling the matter according to regulations and procedures to respect the customers who purchased tickets for an event that was applied for, reviewed, and approved under the Gimhae Culture and Arts Center management and operation regulations and venue rental rules, ensuring smooth concert progress. A foundation official said, "In a situation where year-end cultural performances are being canceled or seeing reduced audiences due to the impeachment political climate, we will proceed as planned since the concert is sold out and there are no issues with the fans’ attendance or the concert’s progress."

Meanwhile, Gumi City had previously canceled the Lee Seung-hwan concert due to concerns over audience and citizen safety and differences in views between both sides regarding the signing of a pledge banning political agitation. At that time, Gumi City stated, "Due to concerns about physical clashes between the audience and conservative right-wing groups, the concert was inevitably canceled for safety reasons. The top priority is the safety of citizens."

However, Lee Seung-hwan immediately expressed regret and announced legal action. Through his Instagram, Lee said, "This case is a matter of 'freedom of expression.' A public institution demanded that the creator sign a document beforehand stating that he would not make political remarks or cause misunderstandings, and when I did not comply with that demand, disadvantages occurred. It is regrettable and miserable. I will point out the problem and work to change it so that the level of our society can be raised again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.