Russian Backlash Over Cancellation of Bolshoi Ballet's Korea Tour: "Cultural Exclusion"

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has protested the cancellation of the Bolshoi Ballet's gala performance in South Korea, stating that it has become "the next victim of South Korea's political situation and the rejection of Russian culture."

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentioned the cancellation of ballerina Svetlana Zakharova's performance in South Korea last month, which was called off due to concerns over audience safety, calling it an "unfriendly act" in a comment posted on her Telegram channel on the 19th (local time).

Bolshoi Ballet Gala Performance
Photo by Ballet & Model

The principal dancers of the Russian Bolshoi Ballet were originally scheduled to perform at the "Ballet & Model 2024 Super Ballet Concert" held from the 16th to the 19th at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater.

However, the performance "MoDance" by ballerina Zakharova, who is considered a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was canceled last month following protests from the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea and others.

In response, the Korean agency changed the performance name to the agency's name instead of "Bolshoi." However, as the number of performers was reduced by half and the program content was altered, the Sejong Center held a review of the performance changes according to its regulations and concluded with a rejection, resulting in the cancellation of the performance.

Spokesperson Zakharova stated, "Both projects would have been notable events in the cultural life of the capital of the Republic of Korea," and argued, "There is no way that performances by Russian artists could threaten the national security of the Republic of Korea in any way."

She also said, "Russia has no intention of rejecting Korean culture within Russia," but emphasized, "If the atmosphere of 'rejecting' Russian culture in South Korea continues to accelerate, we will have no choice but to devise definite countermeasures."

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