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| Doh-ol, left, and Yoo Ah-in reach out to the young audiences in KBS talk show and tell why people of today should remember history. Courtesy of KBS |
Interactive centennial anniversary programs narrow generation gap
By Park Jin-hai
In October 1926, actor and director Na Woon-gyu's silent film "Arirang" premiered, and the Dansungsa cinema in Seoul was filled with the sound of audiences wailing.
In Korea's first nationalist film, Na plays university student Young-jin who lost his mind after being imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese for his involvement in the March 1 independence protest of 1919 against the Japanese occupation of Korea.
When a Japanese collaborator tries to rape his sister, he kills the person with a sickle and gets arrested by the Japanese police, while villagers weep together.
Audiences under the oppression of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule sympathized with Young-jin. They wept all together and sang the traditional folksong Arirang, as it was played in the film.
In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the Korea Provisional Government, the nation is busy rediscovering its history and binding it to the young generations of today.
The Presidential Commission on the Centennial Anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the Korean Provisional Government released an anniversary song last month, a hip-hop song sung by BewhY. In the song "My Land," the lyrics say "You shall never take it away from us. The land of you and I."
In Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, an AR/VR theme park is waiting for its opening. The history-themed Nol Park will offer visitors an opportunity to vicariously experience the conditions independence fighters faced at the time. Children can help independence fighters in danger and join the March 1 Movement, and shout "manse" along with others in the virtual world.
The local TV stations launched many shows. Instead of inviting and preaching, the programs focus on narrowing the generation gap between the older and younger generations on the historical topics.
In the weekly KBS show "Doh-ol Ah-in Going All Directions," famous philosopher Doh-ol and young outspoken actor Yoo Ah-in reach out to young audiences who are increasingly growing nonchalant to history, and ask why it is important for them to remember it now.
In the talk show, the scholar and young people read the Korean Declaration of Independence together and exchanged different views. The philosopher says its text should be interpreted in its entirety in its original wordings in order to understand the spirit of those independence activists of the past, while the actor and younger participants claim it could be better to be made into hip-hop lyrics in today's words, giving them more chances to understand the spirit.
Historic films, musicals and more
Along with "Mal-Mo-E," which premiered last month and told the story of people banned from speaking their native language during the Japanese occupation, audiences can expect more films featuring most painful times in Korean history.
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| A scene from an upcoming film "A Resistance" Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
Also out on the same day is "Uhm Bok-dong" telling the biographical story of the lesser-known real figure cyclist who defeated Japanese cyclists and won the championship during the Japanese occupation. A documentary featuring Yu Gwan-sun and her cellmates is also waiting for release.
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| Musical "Hero" Courtesy of Power Entertainment |
Yun Dong-ju, a poet known for his protest against the Japanese occupation through literary works, will be revived in the musical "Shooting At The Moon, Yun Dong-joo" from March 5.
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| Rock band Crying Nut Courtesy of Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea |
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will hold a special opera concert "Ryu Gwan-sun Opera Cantata" on March 2. The choir comprised of people aged between from 19 and 60s, selected from auditions, will join the opera and sing "manse" together.
