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The Korea National Ballet Company punished its prima ballerina, Kim Ju-won, after nude shots of the dancer were published in the October edition of Vogue Korea.

The ballet company announced on October 25 that its disciplinary committee had decided to impose a one-month pay cut on Kim, explaining that as a member of the company, Kim had violated her duties. According to the ballet company’s regulations, all of its members should get the artistic director’s approval before participating in activities outside of the company.

Park In-ja, the KNBC’s artistic director, said, “The committee’s decision is not about an individual’s freedom of expression, but about a violation of the rules as a member of the company.”

Kim has apologized for violating the rule and accepted the punishment, added Park.

Some in the ballet circle, however, have strongly criticized the decision as a repression of an artists’ freedom of expression. They say that in foreign nations, it is common for dancers to pose for nude photos or perform on the stage in various states of undress. Alessandra Ferri, former prima ballerina of the American Ballet Theater, appeared completely nude at one point and world-renowned choreographer Jiri Kylian pursued “an aesthetics of curves” through the bare busts of his female performers.

Dance critic Kim Nam-su stressed, “For dancers, their bodies are like history books and and the use of nudity is like unfolding one page of that history,” adding that one of the most important concepts in modern dance has to do with the body, and nudity is an important means of expressing the marks and signs of the body.

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