Creative Musical About Real-Life Figures 'Yuilhan·I Inseon' Nominated for Korean Musical Awards

The 9th Korean Musical Awards on the 13th of next month at Universal Art Center

A creative musical work highlighting the lives of real historical figures such as Dr. Yu Il-han, founder of Yuhan Corporation, and Lee In-seon, Korea's first tenor, has been nominated for the Grand Prize at the 9th Korean Musical Awards.

The Korean Musical Association revealed six nominees for the Grand Prize at a press conference on the 16th: Swing Days_Code Name A, Il Tenore, Gloomy Sunday, Long Long Night, Pagwa, and Hongryeon.

Musical 'Swing Days_Code Name A' performance scene [Photo provided by All That Story]

Swing Days_Code Name A is a creative musical inspired by the life of Dr. Yu Il-han, an entrepreneur and independence activist. It depicts Dr. Yu’s support for the independence movement and his participation in the Napco operation conducted by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The Napco operation was a plan to deploy specially trained agents into Korea under Japanese rule to undermine the Japanese forces.

Il Tenore was inspired by the life of Lee In-seon, Korea’s first tenor. The title Il Tenore is Italian for “the tenor.” In 1948, Lee In-seon played the lead role of Alfredo in Korea’s first opera Chunhui (originally Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata). Although he studied medicine at Severance Medical School, he gave up becoming a doctor to pursue a career as a vocalist. He was the first Korean to study in Italy and founded the private opera company “International Opera Company,” pioneering the introduction of opera in Korea.

Musical 'Il Tenore' performance scene [Photo by Odicompaany]

Pagwa and Long Long Night are creative musicals based on the novels of the same names by Gu Byeong-mo and Ruri, respectively. Gloomy Sunday is based on the 1999 film of the same name and was inspired by traditional Korean folktales such as Janghwa Hongryeon jeon and the Baridegi legend.

The Korean Musical Awards is the largest musical awards ceremony in Korea, selecting a total of 21 winners (individuals or teams) across four categories: production, acting, creation, and special awards. The ceremony will be held on the 13th of next month at the Universal Art Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

Swing Days_Code Name A and Il Tenore lead the nominations with 10 and 12 nominations respectively, including for the Grand Prize, ranking first and second in the number of nominations.

Nominees for Best Actor include Kim Junsu (Dracula), Michael Lee (Jesus Christ Superstar), Yoo Junsang (Swing Days_Code Name A), Lim Kyu-hyung (Dear Evan Hansen), Jo Jung-suk (Hedwig), and Hong Kwang-ho (Il Tenore). For Best Actress, the competition includes Kim Suha (Hadestown), Min Kyung-ah (The Last Five Years), Park Ji-yeon (Il Tenore), Lee Areumsol (Hongryeon), Cha Ji-yeon (Pagwa), and Hong Nahyun (Hongryeon).