Korean Actors Filming Movie on Japan's Surrender Declaration Day, Play 'Liberation of Seoul'

Theater Troupe 'Golmokgil' Directed by Park Geun-hyung... Running Until the 31st at Daehangno Seondol Theater

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The play "Liberation of Seoul," which depicts episodes of Korea's top actors filming the literary propaganda film "Sakura Has Bloomed" on August 15, 1945, the day Japan surrendered, is being performed at Seondol Theater in Daehangno until the 31st.

"Liberation of Seoul" satirizes pro-Japanese collaboration through episodes set at a film shooting location during the Japanese colonial period.

Top Korean actress Ji Hwajeong and others are filming the movie "Sakura Has Bloomed" on August 15, 1945, with Changgyeongwon Zoo and Chundangji Pond as the backdrop. They are about to shoot the final scene where the tragic protagonists fall into Chundangji and die. The actors are excited, saying that once this shoot is done, they can enjoy romance in Manchuria, the location for their next film. However, suddenly, the radio broadcast of the Emperor's unconditional surrender declaration plays, leaving the actors bewildered.

"Liberation of Seoul" shows an ordinary-looking but far from ordinary daily life, revealing the seriousness of unresolved historical issues.

The play was directed by Park Geun-hyung, head of the theater company Golmokgil, and premiered in early 2017. Actress Kang Ji-eun plays the role of Ji Hwajeong, with Kim Jeong-ho, Lee Won-jae, Lee Ho-yeol, Kim Eun-woo, Kim Dong-won, and Ahn So-young also starring.

The performance is conducted with socially distanced seating to prevent the spread of COVID-19.