Pompidou dropped over Igidae environmental concerns, contract uncertainty

La Scala canceled after corporate fundraising falls short of target

City to build fully state-funded cultural complex at North Port instead

Critics call reversals politically motivated

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo announces key cultural policy decisions at a press conference at City Hall on Wednesday. [Busan City]
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo announces key cultural policy decisions at a press conference at City Hall on Wednesday. [Busan City]

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo announced Wednesday that the city will scrap a plan to build a Pompidou Centre satellite museum — a project championed by his predecessor Park Heong-joon — and will not invite La Scala to perform at the opening of the Busan Opera House.

"After weighing the opinions gathered during the deliberation process and the project conditions, we have decided not to proceed with the Pompidou Centre Busan satellite museum, and we were unable to invite La Scala as the opening act for the Busan Opera House," Jeon said at a press conference at City Hall Wednesday morning.

The announcement followed three months of deliberation and a cultural policy town hall meeting held Sept. 30. The Pompidou review involved an anonymous opinion survey from an 18-member policy review panel co-led by two city council members, while the La Scala decision was informed by four advisory committee meetings, a public forum and a poll of 1,000 residents.

"When I began reviewing these two issues, I said I would not reverse a predecessor's policy simply because it was his, nor would I accept something already under way just because it had started," Jeon said. He added that the deliberation was guided by four principles: public resonance, public interest, fiscal sustainability and administrative accountability.

The city cited four reasons for halting the Pompidou project: building a permanent facility at Igidae — a national geopark with an 80-million-year geological history — would impose costs disproportionate to its benefits; the contract terms made it difficult to secure sufficient rights and public interest protections for Busan; the reliability of the construction cost estimate of 110 billion won ($82.1 million) and annual operating costs of 12.5 billion won, as presented in a feasibility study, was uncertain; and the project lacked consensus with the local arts community and a plan for shared growth.

Jeon said the city would instead strengthen the exhibition capabilities of the East Busan Municipal Art Museum and the West Busan Museum of Contemporary Art and expand exchanges with overseas institutions. He also announced plans to build a fully state-funded multipurpose cultural exhibition space near North Port — with a total floor area of 5,000 square meters and 3,000 square meters of exhibition space — targeting an opening in the second half of 2030.

The city also decided against inviting La Scala. Jeon said a public poll showed 75 percent support for the performance and a cultural cooperation committee gave conditional approval at 64 percent, confirming strong public appetite for a world-class show. However, more respondents said costs should be reduced before proceeding (38.1 percent) than said the event should go ahead regardless of expense (36.9 percent).

Three factors drove the La Scala cancellation: the original plan called for 40 to 50 percent of the 10 billion won budget to come from corporate donations and sponsorships, but fundraising had fallen short of that target by the time preparations needed to begin in earnest; no concrete plan had been confirmed for involving local artists or using the event to develop local talent; and the city needed time to check stage equipment and acoustics before operating what would be the country's largest municipal opera house for the first time.

Separately from the La Scala cancellation, the Busan Opera House remains on track to be completed by the end of this year. The city plans to conduct safety and performance inspections in the first half of 2027, hold trial performances in the second half, and open the venue in 2028. The opening festival will reflect Busan's history, way of life and cultural identity, Jeon said, adding that once the opera house is up and running, the city will revisit the possibility of inviting La Scala and other world-class opera companies.

Cho Yu-jang, the city's culture director, disclosed that no money had been spent on the La Scala invitation, while about 25 million won had been spent on legal reviews during negotiations over the Pompidou satellite museum. On the decision to push the opera house opening back to 2028, Cho said the city concluded that after the Dec. 31 completion, stage machinery would be installed and reinforced from January through July next year, followed by trial performances including ballet from September through November before the official opening.

Jeon's reversal of his predecessor's cultural policies is expected to draw significant criticism. Those who had worked to advance the Pompidou project argue that the administrative effort and costs invested in negotiations and preparations since 2023 have in effect been wasted, and warn that the decision could damage the trust built through cultural diplomacy with France.

The tourism and performing arts industries, which had anticipated a strong opening boost, are likely to be disappointed by the La Scala cancellation. Some observers view the decision as a political move to wind down the previous administration's agenda, noting that the city walked away from a project that had 75 percent public support over funding concerns. The question of who bears responsibility for the failed corporate fundraising drive, and the prospect of a diminished opera house opening, are also expected to become points of contention.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com