SEOUL, April 19. /TASS/. The decision to cancel April’s Russian ballet shows in Seoul was made by the private company that contracted the performance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea told a TASS correspondent.
"As far as we understand, the decision to cancel was made by the private sector," the ministry’s press service responded to a request to comment on Kiev’s claims that the concert did not take place due to the efforts of the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul.
The day before the the start of the shows, which were supposed to take place on April 16-18, the head of the South Korean company Ballet & Model, which organized the tour, announced a forced cancellation. Previously, a disagreement arose between Ballet & Model and the Sejong Arts Center, where the artists were scheduled to perform, over the rental of the stage. In accordance with internal rules, it is reviewing rental agreements due to changes in the name of the concert, the composition of the troupe and the program, the center said.
In early March, Ukrainian diplomats publicly demanded that South Korea stop any cultural cooperation with Russia. EU representatives joined their demands. On March 15, a performance Modanse featuring Bolshoi Theater prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova was canceled in Seoul due to concerns about the "safety of audiences and performers."
In response to these events, on April 15, the Russian Embassy in Seoul stated that it sees "a certain trend in the approaches of the South Korean side" to cooperation with Russia in the field of culture. "We will be forced to take this into account," the diplomatic mission emphasized.