Following the former director and research director of the National Gugak Center, current and former artistic directors of the center's four gugak performance groups also issued a statement on the 18th opposing the appointment of a high-ranking administrative official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the director of the National Gugak Center.
In the statement released on the same day, 27 current and former artistic directors of the four gugak performance groups?the Jeongakdan, Minsokakdan, Mudongdan, and Changjakakdan?asserted, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is attempting to appoint a senior administrative official with no expertise in gugak as the director of the National Gugak Center," and declared, "All current and former artistic directors of the gugak performance groups strongly oppose this."
The artistic directors stated, "The National Gugak Center is not merely an administrative agency but the central institution of gugak with over 1,400 years of history and tradition, bearing the heavy responsibility of preserving, inheriting, and developing the essence of traditional Korean music," and emphasized, "For the future of Korean gugak, the director of the National Gugak Center must be someone with gugak expertise and artistic capability."
They continued, "We clearly state that we cannot accept any personnel policies or administrative decisions that undermine the historical significance and identity of the National Gugak Center, especially those whose purpose and intent are unclear," and urged, "We strongly call for the immediate cessation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's attempt to entrench a specific senior administrative official as the director of the National Gugak Center."
The current and former artistic directors of the gugak performance groups pointed out, "The National Gugak Center is not a tool for government-controlled administration," and criticized, "The attempt to appoint the director of the National Gugak Center as a senior administrative official is merely an administrative convenience and an effort to confine the center within the framework of government-controlled administration to strengthen control."
They further emphasized, "Operating the National Gugak Center solely based on administrative experience without a deep understanding and expertise in gugak will hinder the development of the gugak community and damage its identity," and stressed, "The National Gugak Center needs a leader who understands the essence of gugak and can foster its development."
Earlier, on the 7th, 13 former directors and research directors of the National Gugak Center issued a statement opposing the appointment of a senior official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the director of the National Gugak Center.
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