'This post is not an honorary title': Korea National Ballet dancers issue first collective statement; minister denies appointment rumors

"This position is not one that can be fulfilled by prestige or symbolism alone."

Members of the Korea National Ballet have spoken out collectively over the selection of the company's next artistic director.

The dancers released a joint statement Saturday titled "Company Members' Position on the Appointment of the Korea National Ballet Artistic Director and General Director," calling for transparency in the selection criteria "as artists, for the future of the Korea National Ballet." It marks the first time company members have issued a collective statement over a leadership appointment.

The dispute traces back to the vacancy left when former director Kang Sue-jin stepped down in April. Rumors spread widely in the performing arts community that a non-specialist with ties to a presidential election campaign had been lined up for the post. Specifically, word circulated that the leading candidate was an elderly dance professor with no professional ballet company experience who had been active in last year's presidential campaign. Dancers currently on tour in Dangjin said they felt a deep sense of crisis over the mood both inside and outside the dance world, and decided to unite behind a shared position.

In their statement, the dancers said the position of general director and artistic director of the Korea National Ballet "is absolutely not one that can be managed on prestige or symbolism alone."

While stressing they were not targeting any specific individual, the dancers laid out the qualifications they expect in a new leader: a deep understanding of the training systems and production processes of a professional ballet company, hands-on experience managing a demanding repertoire, and a genuine capacity to support dancers' growth and career development.

The members urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to publicly disclose clear appointment criteria, saying the top priority must be "professional expertise as the final decision-maker on the company's artistic direction — not a figurehead who merely signs documents."

Industry observers say the dancers' insistence on practice-based criteria reflects lessons learned under former director Kang Sue-jin, who led the company for 12 years. Kang, who took the post in 2014 and was reappointed three times, is credited with consolidating the company's professional infrastructure — securing employment stability and expanding the permanent roster by 28.75 percent. Having experienced a director who understood the realities of the stage firsthand, the dancers appear to be voicing concern that a parachute appointment driven by administrative convenience could erode the artistic achievements built up over the past 12 years.

As the controversy grew, Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young, who holds the appointment authority, moved to contain the situation within hours of the statement's release. In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account Saturday afternoon, Choi denied the appointment rumors outright, saying "strange false rumors are circulating" about the selection process.

Choi said he wanted to make clear that the type of candidate being described — a professor with ties to a presidential campaign — "has not appeared on my list of candidates under serious consideration even once, from the very beginning until now."

He invoked the Korean proverb "saminsungho" — the idea that even an absurd claim becomes accepted as fact if enough people repeat it — and shrugged off the controversy as "a tiger-sighting episode in broad daylight." He also asked the dancers to set aside their worries and focus on their performances.