Korean tradition weaved together with opera by boundary-crossing director Yona Kim
"Simcheong" is a story every Korean child grows up with — a tale of devotion, sacrifice, filial piety and transformation, told and retold in countless variations. Among them is "Simcheongga," the pansori version — Korea’s traditional form of musical storytelling accompanied by a "gosu," or drummer. Even within pansori, multiple versions exist, each offering its own take on the enduring narrative.
This year, the story of Simcheong is being reimagined as something entirely new: a pansori theater production that blends operatic structure with traditional Korean storytelling. Spearheading the production is Yona Kim, a Korean director based in Germany, known for her approach of crossing cultures as well as genres.
Kim was named director of the year by Opernwelt in 2017, nominated for Germany’s prestigious Faust Award in 2011 and 2020 and received critical acclaim for her production of “Tannhauser” with the Korea National Opera in 2024.
“I’ve long been someone who has lived outside the boundaries,” Kim told reporters during a press conference on April 10. “It feels like I’m crossing the borders of genre, like opera, and of language. There’s a sense of anticipation, but also a bit of anxiety — like I’m standing on a border.”
“We often think of Simcheongjeon as uniquely ours, but Simcheong is both deeply Korean and universally human. Stories that mirror the structure of Simcheong are everywhere. Societies have always demanded sacrifice from the weak,” Kim explained, citing characters who sacrifice themselves for their blind fathers — such as those in Greek tragedies, like Antigone and Electra, as well as in German fairy tales.
Yet this new Simcheong is not merely a victim. Drawing on her experience of reinterpreting classical works on global opera stages, Kim portrays Simcheong as a metaphor for someone who, rather than simply sacrificing for her father, chooses to stand for those even weaker than herself — someone who refuses to give up her beliefs and ideals. The blind father is reimagined as a symbol of patriarchal power and elite privilege, blind to the realities around him, Kim noted.
With this production, Kim hopes to provide an outlet for a global audience to immerse themselves in a universal story, regardless of its genre definition.
“I don’t want to assign a genre label to this work — not yet. I don’t think I can. We’re still in the process of discovering what it is.”
“I want even those who know nothing about pansori — regardless of their nationality, background, status, gender or age — to come in, spend about two hours and simply immerse themselves in a different world,” Kim added. "I hope they dive into the sea of storytelling, feel something, think something, and then come back out — that’s all I wish for."
“At its core, this is undeniably a theatrical art form that expresses human stories and emotions,” Kim explained. “So we decided to simply title it 'Simcheong,' and underneath it, we added just one line: Pansori Theater.”
Joining the creative team are celebrated European talents: costume designer Falk Bauer, set designer Herbert Murauer, video director Benjamin Lutke and assistant costume designer Frank Schonwald. The production also features music by composer Choe Uzong and vocal compositions by Han Seung-seok.
The pansori will be performed by members of the National Changgeuk Company as well as independent performers selected through recent open auditions. Over 130 performers will take the stage in this large-scale co-production between the National Theater of Korea and the Jeonju International Sori Festival.
The show will premiere at the Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Aug. 13 and 14, then move to Seoul’s National Theater of Korea on Sept. 3 and 6.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
