The Last "Achimisul" Echoing Through Hakjeonseo

'Hakjeon, Again Concert' Successfully Concluded
Closed on the 15th, 33rd Anniversary of Opening
Final Stage with Kim Min-ki's Classics by Kwon Jin-won, Park Hak-ki, and Others

"I am leaving now, to that rough wilderness, leaving all sorrow behind, I am leaving now...."

On the final stage of the 'Hakjeon Again Concert' held on the 14th at Hakjeon Blue Small Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul, actor Hwang Jung-min is singing Kim Min-ki Hakjeon representative's hit song 'Jageun Yeonmot' (Small Pond).
[Photo by HK Enterpro]

Hakjeon, a symbol of small theater culture in Daehangno, will disappear into history on the 15th. On the evening of the 14th, actor Hwang Jung-min, who took the final stage at Hakjeon Blue Small Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul, said with regret, "Hakjeon is a foundation for me as an actor and the hometown of my heart that made me who I am today."

The performance was planned by actors and singers connected to Hakjeon who came together with a shared purpose. When news of the theater’s closure was announced last year due to long-standing management difficulties and CEO Kim Min-ki’s illness, these people quickly united their hearts. The total of 20 performances, featuring actors Seol Kyung-gu, Jang Hyun-sung, and singers Dongmulwon, Siin gwa Chonjang, Yoon Do-hyun, Yoon Jong-shin, Kim Hyun-chul, Jang Pil-soon, and others who had passed through Hakjeon, sold out all seats within 10 minutes of ticket opening. All ticket proceeds, after deducting production costs, were donated to Hakjeon.

The final performance before closure on the 14th was a 'Kim Min-ki Tribute' singing only Kim Min-ki’s songs for about two and a half hours. Park Hak-ki, No Chatsa, Kwon Byung-ho, Kwon Jin-won, Hwang Jung-min, Ali, Jung Dong-ha, and Han Young-ae appeared on stage to present Kim Min-ki’s clear and lyrical representative songs such as "Autumn Letter," "Beautiful Person," "Baekgu," and "Sangnok-su" to the audience.

At the end of the performance, all performers sang "Morning Dew" together. When the lyrics "I am leaving now, leaving all sorrow behind" were murmured, both the stage and the audience wiped away tears as one. Park Hak-ki, the general director of this performance, said, "I was happy that seniors and juniors could perform on the same stage under the name Kim Min-ki."

On the afternoon of the 14th, citizens are entering in front of Hakjeon Blue, a small theater in Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to watch the final performance of the 'Hakjeon, Again Concert,' held one day before the theater's closure. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Exactly 33 years after its opening on March 15, 1991, Hakjeon will disappear into memories after this performance. Prior to the closure announcement, in December last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it would take over and reorganize the Hakjeon space through the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service support project to inherit its identity, but CEO Kim Min-ki expressed his wish that "it be operated as an independent space without using the Hakjeon name."

Hakjeon has produced numerous star singers and actors such as the late Kim Kwang-seok, Deulgukhwa, Seol Kyung-gu, Hwang Jung-min, and Jo Seung-woo. The musical "Subway Line 1," which premiered in 1994, was the first Korean musical to feature live music, marking a milestone in Korean performing arts history. With over 4,000 performances and a cumulative audience of 700,000, it wrote the history of small theater musicals.

The Korea Arts & Culture Education Service plans to lease the Hakjeon space, change its name, and reopen it in July or August as a theater specializing in children and youth performances.