Upheaval at the controversy-plagued Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra continued as its board of directors decided to postpone its decision on renewing maestro Chung Myung-whun’s contract as the city orchestra’s music director.

Members of the orchestra’s board of directors met Monday morning to discuss whether to keep Chung, who has promised to fulfill next season’s conducting commitments with the SPO regardless of his contract status. 

Earlier in September, members of the orchestra made a public plea to retain the conductor as their music director after he announced he would not renew his contract amid the ongoing controversy.

In a statement released to the press Monday, the SPO said the board’s plan was still pending and that the decision to extend the conductor’s contract would be revisited sometime in mid-January. 

The board’s announcement Monday followed news that Chung’s wife had been booked on defamation charges in a case involving the orchestra’s former CEO Park Hyun-jung. Ten SPO employees filed complaints with the police against Park last December alleging sexual harassment and verbal abuse, which eventually led to her resignation.

All charges against Park were dropped in August due to lack of evidence. Park, in turn, filed suit against the employees who had accused her of abuse, prompting an investigation into the conduct of the SPO.

On Sunday, the police announced that Chung’s wife, surnamed Koo, was booked in the ongoing investigation brought on by Park’s lawsuit.

The police said they suspect that Koo may have instructed Chung’s secretary to spread false allegations in order to tarnish Park’s reputation and force her out of office.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)