A Busan live music venue was shut down after municipal authorities said dancing violated its restaurant license, prompting a petition to change Korea’s performance and food sanitation laws. Ovantgarde was ordered to suspend business for two months after officials visited over an unrelated complaint and observed a band performing. The case has renewed calls for a separate legal category for live music venues, rather than treating them like ordinary restaurants.
A projection says "To the Future, To the World, No Dance" during a show at Ovantgarde in Busan, Aug. 23, the final night before the venue was forced to shut down for two months. Courtesy of Pulp Man
Korea may seem to the outsider like a land of K-pop idols and dancing, but the truth is different for those who live here. Due to restrictions, people in Korea have to be careful about where they dance, because if they bust a move in a cafe, bar, restaurant or live music venue, they could get it shut down.
The latest victim of this "K-Footloose" regulation is Ovantgarde, a music venue and pub in the southeastern city of Busan.
The venue was shut down after municipal authorities visited to respond to an unrelated complaint. Although the complaint turned out to be nothing, the officials observed a band performing in front of an audience, and reported the venue for allowing "dancing," in violation of the rules governing its restaurant license.
