“Stood up in excitement, then a business suspension”··· Tears of Busan’s indie sanctuary hung with a ‘No Dance’ sign - 경향신문

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Indie singer Kita performs at Obangarde in Nam-gu, Busan, on the 22nd. Seo Hyun-hee

“To ensure a comfortable and safe environment, dancing is restricted. NO DANCE.”

On the 22nd, ‘No Dance’ signs were posted throughout the indie venue ‘Obangarde’ in Nam-gu, Busan. Because it is registered as a general restaurant, audience members standing to watch the show were deemed to be ‘dancing’ and the venue became subject to enforcement. As performances by indie acts Kita, Wednesday Off, and Gamgyul Seoridan heated up, excited audience members stood up, only for venue staff to repeatedly persuade them to sit back down.

Obangarde, a flagship venue of Busan’s indie scene, entered a two-month business suspension after this show. Head Lee Seung-cheol said, “I don’t want to contest the penalty,” but added, “I want to operate a live venue in a lawful way as soon as possible.”

Indie singer Kita performs at Obangarde in Nam-gu, Busan, on the 22nd. Seo Hyun-hee

Behind Obangarde’s suspension lies a regulatory gap that fails to reflect the reality of small venues. The current Food Sanitation Act prohibits dancing at general restaurants. In 1999, live performances at general restaurants were permitted after legal disputes, but dancing still failed to clear the legal hurdle. Indie venues, which mostly host small shows for 3050 seats, typically operate after filing as general restaurants. The problem is that even actions such as audiences standing and waving their arms are being interpreted as ‘dance.’ Some local governments, including Mapo-gu and Seodaemun-gu in Seoul and Buk-gu in Busan, run a kind of ‘dance permit’ ordinance that allows dancing at general restaurants, but Nam-gu, Busan has no such ordinance, which led to the problem.

Given that most revenue comes from alcohol sales, it is also difficult in reality to register as a venue where alcohol sales are prohibited. Among businesses that sell food and drink, only entertainment establishments are allowed to permit dancing. But entertainment establishments face two to ten times the taxes of general restaurants, and where they may open is strictly limited. Above all, youth audiences are completely barred from accessing the venue.

Signed CDs from performers who had taken the stage sit on a corner of Obangarde’s cocktail bar in Nam-gu, Busan, on the 22nd. Seo Hyun-hee

Lee said, “Bands playing indie venues have low fees per show and draw small crowds,” adding, “Since most of the ticket price goes to the artists, that alone not only fails to generate profit but even makes it impossible to keep the space running.” He continued, “What people enjoy here is not, in essence, ‘entertainment.’ The right of young people who will carry indie culture forward to enjoy performances must also be actively guaranteed.”

Obangarde is a hub of Busan’s indie scene, founded in 2018 by co-heads Lee Seung-cheol and Jung Ah-yoon to keep the scene alive, as live clubs across Busan were closing under business strain. By staging curated shows that matched Seoul and Busan artists and overseas bands with domestic bands, it established itself as one of Busan’s representative live clubs. For bands that emerged from BusanSeisumi, Haesowei, Bosudong Cooler, Soeum Balgwang, and othersObangarde is a special place. Lee, who said, “I’m grateful that artists think of Obangarde as their base,” also teared up, saying, “Come to think of it, we’ve received so much support.”

Posters from past shows are affixed to a wall at Obangarde in Nam-gu, Busan, on the 22nd. Seo Hyun-hee

In response to the news of Obangarde’s suspension, artists and operators of indie venues in Seoul voiced solidarity on social media. Electronic musician Kirara said, “This issue feels so big to me that I have to worry about what we will do now.” She continued, “If the reality is that, unless you are a general restaurant, you must be an entertainment establishment, are we indie musicians all supposed to perform in nightclubs and cabaret lounges?” stressing the need for a system designed specifically for live venues. Indie singer Danpyeonseon criticized, “A so-called cultural powerhouse that cannot prevent the shutdown of Obangarde, the most active presenter of indie shows in Busan, cannot exist. Citizens are not so foolish that they cannot distinguish entertainment establishments from live clubs.”

Artists on stage and audience members that day could not hide their regret. Jung Ssoan, drummer of the band Gamgyul Seoridan, said, “A live club is the only place that can be a foothold for new musicians. What is happening now feels like stepping on the sprouts not only of the indie scene but of everyone who makes music.” A patron, Geum Ji-hyeon, 46, who said she has been coming to Obangarde for four years, said, “I made time to come because it was the last show before the suspension,” adding, “Restricting the freedom to dance is something only a communist country would do.”

Abroad, authorities have already moved to improve regulations on live venues. In 2017, New York City repealed its Cabaret Law, which requiredbars and restaurants to obtain a ‘cabaret license’ for patrons to dance. By scrapping the licensing system, it opened the door for any business that complies with safety rules to allow dancing. Japan also revised its Businesses Affecting Public Morals regulation in 2015 to allow dancing at general restaurants if they maintain a certain level of lighting and close before midnight.

A view of the stage at Obangarde in Nam-gu, Busan, on the 22nd. Seo Hyun-hee

Lee said, “Because the law cannot precisely define where ‘dance’ begins and ends, separate regulations for live venues are needed.” “Times have changed. It would be enough just to guarantee standing shows (where the audience watches while standing). Of course we will comply with safety rules and taxes. I want to think only about the shows and do my job openly and properly, without lingering in blind spots or gray areas.”

The two co-heads plan to continue discussions about live-venue policy in various forums during the roughly two months the doors are closed. “Unlike when the dance-prohibition law was enacted and dance was treated as ‘degenerate culture,’ the times have changed a lot. Bands that have passed through our venue appear at institutional events and get booked for all kinds of festivals. I think that proves our venue is doing its part in the arts. If Busan’s bands grow well, couldn’t they become a strength for Busanand for Korea?”