South Korea's top ballerina disciplined for nude photo in Vogue
By Paul Icamina
November 3, 2007
Kim Joo-Won (File photo)
Seoul - A topless photo of South Korea's top ballerina in the October issue of
the Korean Vogue magazine has cost her a third of her monthly salary.
Kim Joo-Won, 29, a top performer with Korea National Ballet (KNB), was
disciplined by the state-financed art troupe's disciplinary committee not as
much for the nude photo but for engaging in "outside performance" without KNB
permission, a spokeswoman said.
"I believed it would enhance public awareness in the pure art. I wanted to have
my own body displayed without any disguise," she said.
"A dancer conveys beauty through her body, but it's not always easy to know
exactly how one's body looks. That's why I decided to do a nude shoot," Kim
said in an interview with Vogue. "I wanted to leave a record and be able to
remember how my body looks."
In the photo, Kim was sitting on the lap of her male friend and leading dancer
of the National Dancing Company, the AFP reported.
The independent Hankyoreh daily accused the KNB move on Saturday as "hypocrisy." The Joongang daily said the KNB's
decision was "anti-cultural" that discourages artistic spirit and creativity.
