Professor Bae Samsik’s Chunhyang Performed at National Theatres in Osaka and Okinawa

Korean traditional opera Chunhyang, with a script written by Professor Bae Samsik of the School of Drama, was performed at national theatres in Osaka and Okinawa, Japan, expanding the network of traditional arts exchange between South Korea and Japan.

Premiered in Namwon, Jeonbuk State, the hometown of Chunhyang, in April, the production was presented in Japan with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) through the "Touring K-Arts" project. The Namwon National Gugak Center and the Korean Cultural Center in Osaka (KCC Osaka) hosted the performances at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka on July 9 and at the National Theatre Okinawa on July 13. Notably, the Okinawa performance marked the first cultural event organized by KCC Osaka outside the Kansai region.

Professor Bae earned an M.A. in Playwriting from K-Arts’ School of Drama after receiving a B.A. in Anthropology from Seoul National University. Since his debut in 1998 with A Tale of the Chalk Circle, he has established himself as a playwright of contemporary relevance, receiving recognition from major literary and theater awards—including the Daesan Literary Award and the Dong-a Theatre Award—for works such as Inching Towards Yeolha, Gertrude Poisoned, and 1945.

In Osaka and Okinawa, 1,977 and 1,342 people, respectively, applied for tickets. The performances drew a total audience of 1,270 and recorded an impressive average seat occupancy rate of 96.1 percent. The strong response demonstrated that Korea’s traditional musical heritage, centered on pansori, can resonate deeply with audiences across linguistic and cultural boundaries.