The United Church of Christ in Korea (UCCK), currently led by Pastor Kim Jong Hyuk, issued an official notice to its members on April 11, expressing concern about the ongoing show of Shen Yoon Performing Arts in Korea and to pay attention to all citizens, including Christians, when considering attendance.
According to UCCK, Shen Yoon has been performing regularly in major South Korea’s cities for several years, with shows scheduled for Mae EG, Chinchon and Gwacheon in May 2025.
Shen Yun claims to restore and preserve traditional Chinese culture, but UCCK said the actual content consists of a way of packaging certain religious doctrines in artistic form. Performances recurs with religious symbolism, such as the winged Creator appearance, mystical figure intervention, and apocalyptic scenes of collective salvation.
“This type of performance can be seen as a classic example of “disguised converts.” This brings a belief system in the guise of culture and art without prior notice to an audience of its religious nature,” UCCK said.
“It’s even more problematic, especially since the structure that reveals doctrinal messages later in the show can indirectly guide religious judgments to the audience. Some viewers achieved religious content after the performance,” he added.
UCCK cites national and international media coverage, analysis by cult research institutions, and testimony from former members, saying, “Shen Yun performing arts is not just an art group, but a structurally organized community formed to spread the belief system of Farungong. Its activities should be seen as religious propaganda equipped in an artistic form.”
According to UCCK, the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapshin) defined Falun Gong as a cult in a resolution at the 2018 General Assembly, characterising it by its deification and doctrine of absolute salvation. The denomination warned that “Falun Gong, who uses Li Hongji and his teachings as the object of his faith, brainwashing his followers through books and music. As a result, countless families have been destroyed, resulting in social issues such as mental illness, suicide, and family murder.”
UCCK emphasized that Shen Yun’s performance was not merely a cultural event, but a propaganda activity that provided a religious worldview pose as art. It encourages Christian communities and civil society to raise awareness and jointly respond to such disguised proreaching attempts,” adding, “I call on local governments to make careful judgments in order to make careful judgments to measure social well-being.”
