Im Young-woong, CEO of Sanwoollim Who Established a Cradle for Modern Theater, Passes Away

Opened Small Theater Sanwoollim and Directed Various Works
Left a Significant Mark on the History of Domestic Musicals

Lim Young-woong, the representative of the theater company Sanwoollim who elevated the status of Korean theater with various works, passed away on the 4th. He was 89 years old. According to Sanwoollim, he died early that morning at the hospital where he had been admitted due to old age.

Born in Seoul in 1934, the late Lim studied at Seorabeol Art College. He debuted in the theater world in 1955 by directing "Sayuksin." In 1969, he gained attention by staging the Korean premiere of Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot," translated by his wife, French literature translator Oh Jeung-ja. This play was performed over 1,500 times in 50 years, attracting 220,000 audience members.

In 1970, he founded the theater company Sanwoollim and nurtured it into a cradle of modern theater. In 1985, he opened the small theater Sanwoollim near Hongdae in Mapo-gu, Seoul, bringing in and directing various overseas works such as "What Happened in Vichy," "The Cherry Blossom," "The Voice," "Woman in Crisis," and "Mom Discovered the Sea at Fifty." He also discovered many domestic original plays including "Negative Ward," "A Country as Far as the Sky," "Rock-Paper-Scissors!," "Room in the Forest," and "About Suicide."

He also left a significant mark on the history of Korean musicals. He directed Korea's first musical "Saljjagi Opseoye," as well as "Kkotnimi! Kkotnimi!," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Kiss Me, Kate," and "The Gambler." He served as a board member of the National Theater Company, chairman of the Korean Theater Association, and the inaugural president of the Korean Theater Directors Association, actively working as a theater administrator. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Geumgwan Cultural Medal, the highest honor for cultural and artistic merit, in 2019. He also received the Baeksang Arts Award, Dong-A Theater Award, Republic of Korea Culture and Arts Award, Seoul City Cultural Award, and Paradise Cultural Grand Prize, among others.

He is survived by his wife Oh Jeung-ja and their two children, including artistic director Lim Soo-hyun. The funeral hall is set up in Room 3 of the Seoul National University Hospital Funeral Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The funeral procession will take place at 8 a.m. on the 7th, and the burial site is Seoul Memorial Park.