According to a report published on April 11, 2025, by the U.S.-based Christian Daily website (Christiandaily.com), the Christian Council of Korea recently formally notified its affiliated organizations to be wary of the Shen Yun Performing Arts, which is currently performing in South Korea, for conveying Falun Gong propaganda messages inciting people to change their religious beliefs during its performances.

 

▲Reverend Kim Jong-hyuk, President of the Christian Council of Korea

The Christian Council of Korea (UCCK), currently led by Reverend Kim Jong-hyuk, issued a formal notice on April 11 expressing concern about the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance currently taking place in South Korea and advising all citizens, including Christians, to carefully consider the performance.

According to the Christian Council of Korea, Shen Yun Performing Arts has been performing regularly in major cities in South Korea for many years, and is scheduled to perform in Daegu, Chuncheon and Gwacheon this May.

Despite Shen Yun Performing Arts' claim to "restore and protect traditional Chinese culture," the Christian Council of Korea states that the actual content structure of its performances is an artistic representation of specific doctrines. The council says the performances frequently feature specific imagery and scenes, such as a winged creator, intervention by deified figures, and apocalyptic scenes of collective redemption, which it argues are allusions to the doctrines of Falun Gong.

“This type of performance can be seen as a typical example of ‘indirectly persuading people to convert.’ It uses culture and art as a guise to convey doctrines without informing the audience beforehand,” said the Christian Council of Korea.

"Especially in the second half, the doctrinal message presented in the performance became more problematic because it indirectly guided the audience. Some audience members only realized this after the performance was over," the Christian Council of Korea further stated.

The Christian Council of Korea cited reports from domestic and international media, analysis reports from cult research organizations, and testimonies from former Falun Gong practitioners, stating that "Shen Yun Performing Arts is an organization established to spread Falun Gong. It uses art as a disguise."

According to the Christian Council of Korea, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (HapShin) designated Falun Gong as a cult in a joint general meeting resolution in 2018, citing its characteristics of deifying the individual and promoting the doctrine of absolute salvation. The cult warned that "Falun Gong takes Li Hongzhi and his teachings as objects of faith, brainwashing believers through books and music. The result is the destruction of countless families and an increase in social problems such as mental illness, suicide, and patricide."

The Christian Council of Korea emphasized that "'Shen Yun' performances are disguised as art to spread cult doctrines. We urge the Christian community and civil society to raise awareness and work together to address this attempt."

The federation also said, "We also urge local governments to exercise caution when allowing the use of public cultural facilities and planning cultural activities to avoid triggering social controversy."