Lee Seunghwan Gumi Concert Canceled... Democratic Party Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee "Kim Jangho Gumi Mayor Must Apologize"

The Democratic Party Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee issued a statement on the 23rd, urging Mayor Kim Jang-ho of Gumi to apologize, saying, “Mayor Kim Jang-ho canceled the booking for the Lee Seung-hwan concert scheduled to be held at the Gumi City Culture and Arts Center on the 25th, citing anticipated conflicts with conservative right-wing groups.”

The Lee Seung-hwan concert, held to commemorate his 35th debut anniversary, began on the 14th at the Suwon Gyeonggi Arts Center and is scheduled to tour nationwide, including stops in Gumi on the 25th, Gimhae on the 29th, Cheonan on January 4 next year, Jinju on January 11, Cheongju on January 18, Seongnam on January 25, Yongin on February 22, and concluding in Seoul on March 15 and 16. The Gumi concert was already sold out, causing great disappointment among fans.

Democratic Party Gyeongbuk Provincial Party Committee

The Democratic Party Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee claimed, “Although Gumi City received a promise from Lee Seung-hwan’s side not to make political statements at the time of the venue contract, they accepted the one-sided demand to cancel the Gumi concert after conservative groups requested cancellation, citing that they held a free concert at the impeachment rally for President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 13th.”

The Gyeongbuk Democratic Party stated, “As Gumi City revealed in its ‘urgent statement,’ if there are concerns about physical clashes between the audience and conservative right-wing groups, the city should have strengthened all safety measures, including separating the two sides, to ensure the concert could proceed safely. Canceling the booking instead clearly demonstrates Mayor Kim Jang-ho’s political bias and is an oppression of cultural artists.”

The Democratic Party Gyeongbuk Provincial Committee strongly urged Mayor Kim Jang-ho of Gumi, who denied the use of the arts center?a free cultural and artistic space for Gumi citizens?due to opposition from a specific group, to apologize to the citizens of Gumi and promise to prevent such incidents from happening again.