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
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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
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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.


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
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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
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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