Creative musicals in Korea: Reminiscing about Kim Kwang
- 5 years ago
Time now for our "Life & Info" segment... where we focus on information useful for your everyday life whether you are in Korea or somewhere else around the world.
Today, we are going to focus on some culture
And to explain what's popular in South Korea right now, we have our Seo Bo-bin in the studio.
Bo-bin, what do you have for us today?
Hi Mark, around this time of the year, there are many creative musicals happening around Seoul and a lot of people are going to enjoy the songs and performances.
Sounds like a great way to enjoy the spring... So what's a popular musical that's in theaters now?
So, one creative musical that's currently extremely popular is the musical "The Days".The Days is about a mystery case that has happened 20 years ago at the Blue House presidential security service. The story revolves around 3 people going back and forth from past to present over the past 20 years.
The Days premiered in 2013 and it's still going on right now at the BlueSquare Interpark Hall in Seoul.
Furthermore, the musical was given the name 'Jukebox' for its medley of songs.
It has become one of South Korea's representative musicals that people need to see at least once.
The reason for its popularity is because the songs in the musical are by famous South Korean folk rock singer, Kim Kwang-seok, who passed away in his early 30s in 1996.
By listening to his songs, people are able to reminisce about their own past.
Let's listen to what some of the people who came to watch the musical had to say.
"When thinking of Kim Kwang-seok, the song 'Around Thirty' comes to mind, which I really like. I still have the CD of that song And it is really touching to hear those songs being performed on the stage."
"I wanted to see the musical because I love how his songs make me feel. Also, it was such a tragedy when he passed away at such a young age, so I wanted to reminisce about him while listening to his songs again."
So, Bo-bin tell our international viewers a bit more about Kim Kwang-seok? Why do so many Koreans love his music?
Well, Mark. Kim is widely known for his sentimental lyrics that portray sorrow and frustration from a time when Korean society was struggling in the early stages of democracy and when listening to the songs it makes people think back on their own life.
Some of his biggest hits are 'Love Has Gone' and 'Around Thirty' and both of them are in the musical.
And who is going to see the musical... is it mostly young or old people?
Kim Kwang-seok and his songs are widely popular among people in their 40s and 50s.
Younger generations might not be so familiar, but while I was there, there were a variety of age groups and even foreigners knew him as well.
I met a young Korean couple and a foreigner, here's what they said about Kim and his music.
"My parents are big fans of Kim Kwang-seok, so I listened to many of his songs when I was a kid, and ended up becoming a fan myself. So it was natural for me to come see the musical. Although I wasn't
Today, we are going to focus on some culture
And to explain what's popular in South Korea right now, we have our Seo Bo-bin in the studio.
Bo-bin, what do you have for us today?
Hi Mark, around this time of the year, there are many creative musicals happening around Seoul and a lot of people are going to enjoy the songs and performances.
Sounds like a great way to enjoy the spring... So what's a popular musical that's in theaters now?
So, one creative musical that's currently extremely popular is the musical "The Days".The Days is about a mystery case that has happened 20 years ago at the Blue House presidential security service. The story revolves around 3 people going back and forth from past to present over the past 20 years.
The Days premiered in 2013 and it's still going on right now at the BlueSquare Interpark Hall in Seoul.
Furthermore, the musical was given the name 'Jukebox' for its medley of songs.
It has become one of South Korea's representative musicals that people need to see at least once.
The reason for its popularity is because the songs in the musical are by famous South Korean folk rock singer, Kim Kwang-seok, who passed away in his early 30s in 1996.
By listening to his songs, people are able to reminisce about their own past.
Let's listen to what some of the people who came to watch the musical had to say.
"When thinking of Kim Kwang-seok, the song 'Around Thirty' comes to mind, which I really like. I still have the CD of that song And it is really touching to hear those songs being performed on the stage."
"I wanted to see the musical because I love how his songs make me feel. Also, it was such a tragedy when he passed away at such a young age, so I wanted to reminisce about him while listening to his songs again."
So, Bo-bin tell our international viewers a bit more about Kim Kwang-seok? Why do so many Koreans love his music?
Well, Mark. Kim is widely known for his sentimental lyrics that portray sorrow and frustration from a time when Korean society was struggling in the early stages of democracy and when listening to the songs it makes people think back on their own life.
Some of his biggest hits are 'Love Has Gone' and 'Around Thirty' and both of them are in the musical.
And who is going to see the musical... is it mostly young or old people?
Kim Kwang-seok and his songs are widely popular among people in their 40s and 50s.
Younger generations might not be so familiar, but while I was there, there were a variety of age groups and even foreigners knew him as well.
I met a young Korean couple and a foreigner, here's what they said about Kim and his music.
"My parents are big fans of Kim Kwang-seok, so I listened to many of his songs when I was a kid, and ended up becoming a fan myself. So it was natural for me to come see the musical. Although I wasn't