Chong Wishing's 'Sumire Hair Salon' Premieres in Korea

[Anchor]

Chong Wishing, a Zainichi Korean playwright and director, is well-known for works shedding light on the lives of Zainichi Koreans, such as "Yakiniku Dragon," which has been staged consistently in Korea. Now, the final installment of his "Zainichi Korean Trilogy," "Sumire Hair Salon," is making its domestic premiere.

Culture and arts specialized reporter Kim Soo-hyun has the report.

[Reporter]

[Play "Sumire Hair Salon" / Sept. 12 – Oct. 3 / Sejong Center M Theater]

In 1965, a coal-mining village in Kyushu is home to Koreans who could not return home even after the war.

Sumi, living with her family including her husband Naruhiro who chose Japanese citizenship, runs a rundown barbershop but dreams of opening a hair salon bearing her own name someday.

Then one day, an explosion at the coal mine shakes their lives to the core.

"Sumire Hair Salon," the final piece of Zainichi Korean playwright and director Chong Wishing's trilogy, is motivated by a real-life coal mine accident, bringing the voices of Zainichi Korean laborers buried in history onto the stage.

[Chong Wishing / Writer and Director of "Sumire Hair Salon": I believe that human emotions do not change. I trust that Korean audiences will also watch this story by reflecting it upon their own lives today.]

Derived from the protagonist's name, "Sumire" means violet in Japanese. The violet, blooming tenaciously even when inconspicuous, resembles those who do not let go of their dreams amidst despair.

[Choi Ji-yeon / Actor playing Sumire: I resonated with how the lives of ordinary people, like weeds or violets or Sumire, are portrayed with such beauty...]

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[Play "Gtaeng" / Through the 20th / Doosan Art Center Space111]

In a kitchen run by Pi-young, a nutritionist in her 40s diagnosed with early menopause, Pi-young and her mother Geum-ok conflict over whether to take back her grandfather, who abandoned his family, lost an arm at a factory, and returned with industrial accident compensation.

Set against the backdrop of a kitchen, the play "Gtaeng" tells stories of human bodies consumed in various ways, touching upon aging, labor, and caregiving.

Characters of diverse generations ranging from their 20s to 80s clash with one another and unfold their own ways of living.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee, VJ: Oh Se-kwan, Footage courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.