Composer Lee Seong-jun and Playwright Chu Jeong-hwa Sign Exclusive Contract with EMK Entertainment

Composer and music director Lee Seong-jun, playwright and director Chu Jeong-hwa (from left). (Photo by EMK Entertainment)

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] EMK Entertainment announced on the 7th that it has signed exclusive contracts with composer and music director Lee Seongjun and playwright and director Chu Jeonghwa.

Lee Seongjun majored in classical guitar, graduated from Seoul Arts High School, and graduated at the top of his class from Seoul National University College of Music, Department of Instrumental Music (string major). He achieved first place in prestigious guitar competitions both domestically and internationally, gaining international recognition. In 2005, he made his musical debut as the music director of the musical Oh! While You Were Sleeping. He also studied musical theater as a scholarship student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in the UK.

After completing his studies abroad in 2008 and returning to Korea, Lee Seongjun successfully led the first seasons of major theater hits as the music director for the premieres of the musicals Hamlet and Mozart. In 2014, he solidified his position as a composer of original musicals with works such as Frankenstein and in 2017 with Ben-Hur. He also participated as music director for small license productions such as The Three Musketeers and Jack the Ripper.

Lee Seongjun won the 'Best Music Director' award at the 8th The Musical Awards. He currently serves as a director of the Seongnam Cultural Foundation and is involved in nurturing future talents at universities, releasing personal performance albums, and contributing to OSTs of various media including films such as Spring Song and Princess Aurora.

Playwright and director Chu Jeonghwa graduated from the Department of Theater at Seoul Institute of the Arts. She won the 'Best New Director' award at the 1st Korean Musical Awards in 2017 for the musical Interview, which made its way to the Broadway stage in the United States.

Recently, the musical Frida, directed by Chu Jeonghwa, won the 'Original Musical Award' at last year's Daegu International Musical Festival. In addition, she has reached audiences with works such as the musicals Ludwig: Beethoven The Piano and Smoke.

Kim Ji-won, CEO of EMK Entertainment, said, "I believe Lee Seongjun and Chu Jeonghwa are the key figures who have led the growth of Korean original musicals," adding, "Through contracts with these two artists, we plan to actively expand our creator agency business and support creators so that they can fully immerse themselves in their creative work."