Professor Choi Young-hwa of Honam University Appointed Artistic Director of Goryeoin Village Theater Company

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Honam University announced on the 21st that Professor Choi Young-hwa of the Department of Media, Video, and Performance Arts has been appointed as the artistic director of the Gwangju Goryeoin Village Theater Troupe.

Professor Choi, who is well-known as a leading theater and musical director representing the Honam region, first connected with Gwangju Goryeoin Village in 2017 when he served as the general director of the commemorative performance "I Am a Goryeoin," staged to mark the 80th anniversary of the forced migration of the Goryeoin people.

Last year, the storytelling play "I Am a Goryeoin," co-produced by the National Asia Culture Center (ACC) and Goryeoin Village, achieved great success, which increased the need for regular performances and concretized the establishment of the Goryeoin Village Theater Troupe.

It is expected that cultural and artistic content of the Goryeoin people will be further revitalized through theater in the future.

Professor Choi said, "I feel a sense of fulfillment as the efforts that began from the social responsibility to help the Goryeoin, who came to Korea to find their ancestral land and establish a new home, restore the blood-stained history of their ancestors and instill pride, are bearing fruit." He added, "The multiethnic and multicultural community forming around Wolgok-dong, Gwangju, is expected to become a new cultural alternative for Gwangju, the Asian cultural hub city, and demonstrate the potential of a global city."

He continued, "Starting this year, the newly launched Goryeoin Village Theater Troupe plans to develop content centered on the regular performances of 'I Am a Goryeoin,' the Korean literature plays from the Primorsky region during the Japanese colonial period held by the Goryeoin Village Goryeoin History and Artifact Exhibition Hall, and the cultural activities of the Goryeoin who migrated to Central Asia. We will devote efforts to securing a cultural hub between Korea and Central Asia in collaboration with local universities and communities," he added.