NORTH KOREA: THE MUSICAL

UNCLAS SEOUL 000877 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PREF PGOV KS KN SUBJECT: NORTH KOREA: THE MUSICAL SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) "Yoduk Story," a musical which premiered in Seoul on March 14, is like "Les Miserables" with all blue notes and a leitmotif of North Korean patriotic anthems. In this production, the beatings, rapes, summary executions, and other crimes that have been reported from one of the DPRK's most notorious labor camps, Yoduk No. 15, take center stage. While this musical humanizes the prisoners, the government is portrayed as evil incarnate. This performance may be a shock to a South Korean audience that has become accustomed in recent years to dramatic portrayals of North Koreans as harmless, though sometimes misguided, relatives. The director of "Yoduk Story" is a North Korean defector who pledged a kidney to loan sharks in order to fund this production. END SUMMARY. LIFE AND DEATH IN A NORTH KOREAN GULAG -------------- ¶2. (U) The protagonist is Kang Ryun-wha, a North Korean dancer who was falsely accused of spying and sent to Yoduk. She falls into a prison community of others with similarly grim backgrounds: a woman who failed to save a portrait of Kim Jong-il from her burning house; a South Korean fisherman who mistakenly crossed the East Sea border; a Japanese woman kidnapped at age fifteen; and a singer who escaped the DPRK but returned after falling into loneliness and despair in Seoul. ¶3. (U) Kang becomes pregnant after being raped by the deputy warden. She hides her pregnancy and escapes from a fellow prisoner who tries to kill her: "Don't you know none of us will be allowed to eat for a month if you have a baby," the crazed assailant yells. Ultimately, she gives birth, but she and the baby are discovered by the warden. The warden, upon finding that the deputy is the father, gives his subordinate the choice of facing immediate execution or killing Kang and the baby in front of the other prisoners. ¶4. (U) The story is interspersed with scenes of terrific violence and cruelty. Guards encourage a young boy to admit to stealing a potato only to cut off his arm in front of the other inmates. Prisoners are ordered to run for freedom only to be shot in the back. Other prisoners are murdered at the mere whim of the guards. Suicide is a recurrent theme. As prisoners and guards alike succumb to the madness, religion emerges as a possible salvation. "Please, God, don't just go to South Korea," the prisoners cry. �00A; ¶5. (U) Director Chung Seong-san gives voice to these dark themes through a brooding score that swells with melancholy. The only upbeat piece is a rock-and-roll number that plays in a Seoul club scene. Its point, however, is not to lift the mood, but rather to contrast the frivolity of the South compared to the suffering in the North. Aside from the Seoul nightclub, the set alternates between a field surrounded by a razor wire fence and the cement-walled warden's office, furnished with torture equipment and an inspirational message from the Dear Leader. Gallows strung from a wooden cross loom in the background throughout. ¶6. (U) The performance on March 14 captivated the nearly-full theater for the entire three-hour performance. At curtain call, many in the audience were crying. Rep. Park Jin (GNP),who attended the premiere, told poloff that the show was "epochal" because it was the first performance in the ROK to show the true nature of the DPRK regime. Local media reviews were generally positive, although some reviewers confessed that it was difficult to digest the grave contents through a musical format. Several conservative dailies used their reviews as a platform to criticize the ROK government for remaining silent on North Korean human rights issues. THE MAKING OF YODUK -------------- ¶7. (U) Director Chung was a filmmaker in North Korea prior to fleeing to the ROK in 1995. In 2002, he learned that his father had been publicly stoned to death in a North Korean concentration camp, an event that inspired him to create the musical. In media interviews, Chung said that he wrote "Yoduk Story" based on his experiences in the North and interviews with other escapees. The producer of the show claimed that ROK government officials demanded that the story be changed to avoid dwelling too heavily on the negative aspects of the camp. ¶8. (U) Political complications also allegedly led one theater abruptly to cancel the show, and a key financial backer to withdraw support. In addition to seeking corporate backing, Chung collect donations from private citizens and conservative groups in the ROK and abroad. Still short on funds, he pledged his left kidney as collateral for a USD 20,000 loan. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) This musical cuts sharply against the grain of popular culture. Nearly every South Korean hit film in the past decade has revolved around the North-South divide, and in many, North Koreans are represented as sympathetic, misunderstood fellow victims in a tragically divided land. For example, last year's "Welcome to Dongmakgol" went so far as to show South and North Korean soldiers launching a joint military operation against U.S. forces in the Korean War. "Yoduk Story" strikes a different note altogether. It presents for the first time an unvarnished dramatic portrayal of life in the DPRK as reported by those who have escaped. We hope that this musical succeeds in raising awareness and prompting further discussion on North Korean human rights. Artists should not need to sell their organs to get this story out. VERSHBOW