The Constitutional Court rejected the constitutional petition filed by singer Lee Seung-hwan, 59, on the 27th, claiming that the city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province demanding a 'political incitement prohibition' pledge regarding the rental of a performance venue was unjust.
According to the legal community, the Constitutional Court dismissed Lee's constitutional petition against Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho on the 25th.
Earlier, Lee was scheduled to hold a concert in celebration of his 35th debut anniversary at the Gumi Cultural and Arts Center on Dec. 25 last year. The city of Gumi notified Lee's side in writing of the cancellation two days before the performance.
Mayor Kim stated in a position paper released on the same day, 'There are concerns about physical clashes between the audience and conservative right-wing groups.' The city of Gumi asked Lee's side to sign a pledge stating they would not engage in 'political incitement and actions that could lead to misunderstandings'; however, Lee's side refused. Previously, after the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Lee performed while urging the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol in front of the National Assembly.
At that time, Lee protested, saying, 'The city of Gumi made an unreasonable demand to complete a pledge by a specific time just before the rental date.' He then filed a constitutional petition last month on the 6th, claiming his freedom of conscience and artistic freedom were infringed upon after Gumi canceled the performance.
After the Constitutional Court dismissed Lee's petition, Mayor Kim claimed in a Facebook post that 'Lee's assertion was baseless as it did not even meet the basic requirements for hearing a constitutional petition' and added that 'this decision proves once again that Gumi's judgment, prioritized on the safety of citizens and audiences, was justified according to law and principles.'
Lee will participate in a candlelight cultural festival held at 7 p.m. at the Open Songhyeon Green Space in Jongno-gu, Seoul.