Singer Lee Seung-hwan is filing a constitutional petition against the mayor of Gumi. The petition is regarding the demand to pledge not to engage in 'political agitation' to perform in Gumi.
Lee's legal representative, Im Jae-seong of law firm Hae-Maru, posted on Lee's Instagram account on the 29th, noting, "Lee intends to file a constitutional petition with the Constitutional Court to confirm that the 'pledge' demanded on Dec. 20, 2014, is unconstitutional."
Lee is filing the constitutional petition in an effort to obtain a ruling that the Gumi mayor's demand for a pledge is unconstitutional, aiming to prevent public authorities from censoring performers' thoughts on stage. The constitutional petition will be submitted next month.
According to Im, the mayor of Gumi sent a public document in the name of the director of the Gumi Culture and Arts Center to Lee on the 20th, demanding a signed pledge stating "no political agitation or politically misunderstood actions and remarks" to be submitted by 2 p.m. on the 22nd. The pledge specified that failure to comply would result in cancellation "according to venue regulations", and subsequently, the mayor of Gumi canceled the venue.
Im stated, "This is a violation of the right to freedom of conscience (freedom from being forced to express one's conscience in words) and the general right to freedom of action (freedom not to act)." Im also noted, "Demanding Lee to sign not to make statements that might be politically misunderstood violates Lee's rights to personality, and the unilateral cancellation of a performance, for which over 1,000 tickets were sold, two days before it was scheduled, has shaken the freedom of expression and the freedom of art."
Im expressed hope that the Constitutional Court will find the Gumi mayor's act of forcing the pledge unconstitutional and protect the level of freedom of conscience and freedom of expression in our society.
Earlier, Kim Jang-ho, the mayor of Gumi, announced on the 23rd that Lee's concert venue reservation would be canceled due to concerns over physical clashes between the audience and conservative right-wing groups. In response, Lee disclosed the pledge, which the Gumi mayor had demanded to prevent 'political agitation,' and declared, "I will respond legally." On the 13th, a day before the impeachment bill against President Yoon Suk Yeol was passed, Lee appeared and performed at the impeachment candlelight cultural festival in front of the National Assembly.