[On Stage] Musical 'Gwangju' Min Woo-hyuk "The story of Gwangju 1980 is a big burden but I learn"

Convenience Volunteer Park Han-su 役... "Gwangju Victims Are More Pitiful Than 'Les Mis?rables'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] "If a person named Park Han-su really existed, how much pain must he have endured? Wouldn't he have thought that dying was better than living?"

Actor Min Woo-hyuk described his feelings when he first visited the Jeonnam Provincial Government Office last June like this. He was with fellow actors appearing in the musical 'Gwangju,' produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. 'Gwangju' opened on the 9th at the Hongik University Daehangno Art Center Grand Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The performance runs until the 8th of next month.

In the play, the character Min Woo-hyuk portrays, Park Han-su, is a member of the Convenience Unit. The Convenience Unit was a special military group that infiltrated among citizens during the democratization movement to gather intelligence and spread rumors. They were also tasked with inciting violent protests to portray Gwangju citizens as rioters.

The Gwangju Democratization Movement occurred in 1980. Min Woo-hyuk was born in 1983. "I heard about the Gwangju Democratization Movement, but I was very young. I couldn't grasp the seriousness of the situation. So, when facing this work, there were many difficulties. It was harder to shape the character than in any other work."

Min Woo-hyuk [Photo by Kim Tae-yoon, News Culture]

Park Han-su is deployed to a suppression operation just before his discharge. Seeing citizens risking their lives to resist, he becomes skeptical of the orders given to him. He believes the citizens must be saved.

Min Woo-hyuk said, "Park Han-su is a very important character," and confessed, "That makes it very difficult to portray him. During rehearsals, the character changed several times. When I knew little about the Gwangju Democratization Movement, I portrayed the character completely like a demon, but after meeting Gwangju citizens, I thought about showing the process of becoming more human. However, on the other hand, I also felt that if he changed too easily to a human side, he would be a character who shouldn't be forgiven so easily. So, I thought it would be better for the audience not to be confused if I showed him struggling and confused from the start. It's not that Park Han-su changed; rather, he originally didn't want to suppress but was forced to do so. I am still contemplating the character."

Because it deals with weighty history, the play carries a heavy emotional weight. Min Woo-hyuk said he feels that weight during the curtain call. "In other works, after the performance ends, I feel relieved and think 'I did well,' but after 'Gwangju,' I feel heavy. Even the sound of the audience's applause feels different. I think the audience feels the same way."

Min Woo-hyuk [Photo by Kim Tae-yoon, News Culture]

Director Ko Seon-ung instructs actors not to express their emotions straightforwardly. This is because if actors show sadness and pain, the audience feels even more distressed. "I thought the audience would understand a sad scene only if the actor expressed sadness, but the director gives completely different directions. Wanting to express but unable to do so makes the heart burn even more. I am learning something new."

However, the play is not entirely heavy. "There are many very entertaining scenes, such as the night school student Yongsu, who died unjustly, singing an exciting trot song in a dream. Given the current situation, we perform with the hope that by showing the energy of actors rising above adversity, the audience can also rise above reality."

While reading the script of 'Gwangju,' Min Woo-hyuk thought of 'Les Mis?rables.' Both works share the theme of resistance by powerless common people. "'Les Mis?rables' means the wretched or the poor, but I felt that the people of Gwangju were even more pitiable. When I was young, I only knew that there were rioters in Gwangju regarding the democratization movement. I learned for the first time while preparing for this work about the existence of the Convenience Unit and that 'March for the Beloved' was created during the Gwangju Democratization Movement. I think it is very meaningful if the audience, after watching this work, learns about the Convenience Unit and understands that the people of Gwangju were not rioters but victims stigmatized as such."