‘Kongchilpalsaesamryuk’ based on real-life suicide case of two young women in Seoul


On April 8, 1931, two young, sophisticated-looking women, dressed in Western clothes, approached the Yeongdeungpo train station in colonial Gyeongseong (today’s Seoul).

The two walked toward the railroad tracks, smiling and cracking jokes ― as if on a picnic. When they saw a train steaming toward Incheon, however, they jumped in its path. They were killed instantly.

One of two women was Hong Ok-im, the daughter of Severance Medical School professor Hong Seok-hoo. The 21-year-old woman was also the niece of the late renowned composer Hong Nan-pa (1897-1941). Killed alongside Hong was 19-year-old housewife Kim Yong-joo, whose father was the owner of Deokheung Seorim, one of the biggest bookstores in Seoul at the time. It was later reported that the two women, who had attended the same high school before Kim was forced into an arranged marriage, were in fact secret lovers. 

Inspired by this scandalous, real-life suicide from the ’30s, local musical production company Moby-Dick has come up with the original work “Kongchilpalsaesamryuk.” The title, which means “gossiping behind one’s back” in old Korean, tells the story of the star-crossed, same-sex lovers stifled by Confucian patriarchy and unwanted marriages.

The show begins as young housewife Yong-joo, who has been forced to marry a wealthy man even before finishing high school, tries to get approval from her strict in-laws to restart classes. This excites her best friend and classmate Ok-im, but both are discouraged as they are told by the school authorities that a married woman cannot be re-admitted. After suffering through an unhappy marriage and abuse from her in-laws, and realizing her true feelings for Ok-im, Yong-joo runs away and disappears.

Meanwhile, heartbroken Ok-im, who keeps searching for her missing friend, is forced by her high-ranking doctor father to marry. When they are finally reunited after a series of ordeals, the two lovers together plan an ultimate escape so they can be together.

Aside from the moving love story, the show also offers a rare glimpse into the culture of colonial Gyeongseong in the ’30s ― where Japan was relatively lenient in its policies against the independence movement of the Joseon people. Many of the show’s female characters, who are torn between traditional Confucian values and their Western education, are constantly criticized for their “modern-girl” fashion and hair style. Their skirt lengths are too short, and their bob cut hair styles are seen to be hideous and inappropriate.

Yong-joo is played by “Fame” and “Rent” actress Shin Eui-jung, while Ok-im is played by “Mozart!” and “Legally Blonde” actress Choi Mi-so.

“Kongchilpalsaesamryuk” runs until Aug. 5 at Chungmu Art Hall in Seoul. Tickets cost 40,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2230-6601 or 1577-3363.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)