Han Ah-reum, writer of musical ‘Hero,’ returns with period drama about Yun Dong-ju


“May I look up into the heaven until the day I die ― without a bit of shame,” poet Yun Dong-ju (1917-1945) famously wrote in his poem “Prologue” in 1941, at the age of 25.

The poet, who lived through the turbulent years of Japanese rule, often wrote about the sense of shame in his lyrical and sometimes politically-resistant poems. He was ashamed that his poems were being written “too easily” while many were suffering under the colonial rule. One of the major goals in his life, as expressed in his works, was to live with dignity, with no shame at all.

It was Yun’s such introspection that inspired playwright Han Ah-reum to create a dance-musical featuring the poet’s tragic, short-lived life. The playwright, whose previous works include the famous global-hit musical “Hero,” ― which told the story of patriot Ahn Chung-gun who also lived through the Japanese colonial period ― said she was deeply moved by Yun’s thoughtful sensibilities and yearning for a just world. 

“I was asked by Seoul Performing Arts Company to write the piece at the beginning of this year,” Han told reporters during a press conference in Seoul, Monday.

“We are living in the time period when anything can be written so easily. There’s Facebook and there’s Twitter. It’s very simple and convenient to express our views without too much thinking. But things weren’t the same only about 70 years ago. And there was this young man who was ashamed to write his own poem simply because he couldn’t help but feel for those who were suffering. And I think there’s something to learn from that.”

Yun was born in northeastern China in 1917, and studied at Yeonhui Technical School in Seoul, which later became today’s Yonsei University. He moved to Japan in 1942 to study at Doshisha University in Kyoto. The poet was arrested by the Japanese police in 1943, accused of participating in the independence movement for Joseon, and imprisoned in Fukuoka. Yun died in his jail cell in 1945 at the age of 27. He remains one of Korea’s most beloved poet to this day.

The Seoul Performing Arts Company’s upcoming show is written based on the widespread assumption that the poet was used as a subject for Japan’s medical experiments while he was imprisoned in Fukuoka. The show follows Yun’s years at Yeonhui Technical School till his death in Japan. It also focuses on young Yun’s friendship with his colleagues, including his cousin Song Mong-gyoo and Jeong Byeong-wook.

“I really hope the audience can feel the energy and agony of the young people who lived through the turbulent historical period,” said the show’s music director Oh Sang-joon, who previously worked on popular musicals “Zorro” and “Hero.”

“There’s this youthfulness attached to the music. Many will also find it powerful and somewhat modern.”

Many of Yun’s famous poems, including “Prologue” are used in the show’s dialogues. His well-known essay “Shooting at the Moon” is used as the last song’s lyrics, said playwright Han.

Actor Park Young-soo and actress Lee Kim Hye-won have been cast in the leading roles.

Seoul Performing Arts Company’s “Yun Dong-ju Shoots the Moon” runs from Aug. 8 to 10 at Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. For tickets and information, call (02) 523-0987.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)