South Korea’s ministry of culture is accused of blacklisting 9,500 artists

“BLACKTENT”, a pop-up citizens’ theatre pitched in January on Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul, invites South Koreans to become “both the protagonist and the audience”. On a recent weekday evening, its 100-odd tickets sold out in minutes. Some of the audience had to sit on the stage to watch “Red Poem”, a play about sexual exploitation.

The head of the theatre troupe that produced it, Lee Hae-sung, is among 9,500 local actors, artists, writers, musicians, film directors and publishers included on an alleged blacklist of artists critical of President Park Geun-hye. Like many others on the list, Mr Lee says he has not received any state funding in recent years. Kim So-yeon, an art critic who helped set up “BlackTent” to protest against the blackballing, says the venue will continue to stage plays by shunned writers until Ms Park is removed from office.