Did Simcheong truly want to give herself up for her father? 'Pure Heart' asks
At the prow of a boat amid crashing waves, a small girl plunges into a vast ocean. The iconic scene of Korean folktale "Simcheong" is the epitome of filial devotion: The girl casts herself into the Indangsu Sea to restore her blind father's sight.
In 'Pure Heart,' the National Jeongdong Theater's latest reinterpretation of this age-old tale, Simcheong awakens after plunging into the shadowy abyss not in darkness or deep blue, but in soft pink light and waves, in a glowing, luminous undersea realm.
The Dragon Queen — not the Dragon King of the original tale — gently lifts and welcomes Simcheong. Dressed in flowing robes of rose and blush and holding a lotus-shaped fan, a court of handmaidens circles her in synchronized harmony. There is no suffering here, no sorrow, no pain. Simcheong beams and leaps lightly across the stage — radiant, embraced by this new, gentle world.
Directed by Jung Ku-ho and choreographed by Jeong Hye-jin — the creative team behind sold-out success 'One Dance' — 'Pure Heart' is a dance drama that strips back the traditional narrative to focus on Simcheong's emotional journey.
'We wanted the sea to feel like a place of warmth and welcome (to Simcheong). And we wanted to give her that motherly love she had long been missing," Jung said during a press conference on Thursday, adding that the Dragon Queen serves as a maternal figure for Simcheong, who lost her own mother at birth.
'We asked ourselves: How do we remake this folktale in a way that feels different and fresh?' said Jung, a fashion designer-turned-creative director known for visually striking interpretations of Korean tradition in works like 'The Banquet' and 'Scent of Ink,' both rare sold-out successes in the Korean dance scene.
'We chose to follow Simcheong's emotions closely,' he added.
So rather than beginning with her childhood, the performance opens on the night before her sacrifice. On a sparse stage, Simcheong wrestles with her decision. Her inner doubts take form as a shadowy double in black, echoing her hesitation and fear.
'Even if filial duty was considered absolute in the past, would Simcheong truly have been content to give herself up?' Jung mused. 'We wanted to separate her outward actions from her inner voice — and follow that voice, too. Every scene is selected based on Simcheong's emotional perspective, with minimal storytelling.'
Veteran screen actor Chae Shi-ra makes her stage dance debut as the Dragon Queen, leading a nearly 15-minute sequence of graceful, sweeping movement. Dressed in flowing pastel silks, Chae anchors the fantasy with elegance and gentleness.
'I never imagined the word 'dancer' would be attached to my name,' Chae said, laughing. 'This felt like training for a new profession. The rehearsal process was grueling — I'd call it more training than practice. Choreographer Jeong (Hye-jin) worked tirelessly to guide me.'
If Act II is a dream, Act III returns to solid ground. Here, Simcheong is brought back to life and rewarded with royal marriage. The final act is a visual homage to Korean heritage, featuring costumes inspired by 1920s royal court dress and stylized interpretations of state ceremonies.
'Each act has its own tone and texture,' said choreographer Jeong. 'Because the narrative is carried almost entirely through dance, the costumes and visual language had to be expressive. In the final act, we wanted to highlight the beauty of Korean tradition, blending historical references with a modern sensibility.'
'Pure Heart' runs from Thursday to June 28 at the Jeongdong Theater, with 50 performances by two alternating casts scheduled over two months — an unprecedented run for a national performing arts company in Korea.
'We believe traditional performances can resonate with contemporary audiences — and with international visitors as well. I hope a longer run gives more people the chance to see it,' said Jeongdong Theater CEO Choung Soung-sook.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Korean, Vietnamese content industry leaders forge deeper ties
Korean and Vietnamese entertainment executives and government officials have vowed to expand cooperation, citing the growing appetite for K-content in Vietnam and the shared ambition to strengthen respective countries' creative industries. At the Korea-Vietnam Cultural Industry Cooperation Roundtable held in Seoul on Monday, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young noted that "now is the time to elevate bilateral cultural exchanges to the next level.' Chae outlined Korea's blueprint for cultural industry growth, which includes expanded policy financing, tax incentives, and research and development in cultural technology, alongside an AI-driven innovation strategy spanning content creation, production and distribution. Vietnam's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung expressed his country's willingness to 'actively learn from Korea's advanced cultural industry' and hoped the two nations would 'share more valuable experiences based on mutual trust and cultural commonalities.' The roundtable also brought together the two countries' leading content companies. From Korea, executives from HYBE, Krafton and Carriesoft presented success cases in music, gaming and animation, respectively, while BHD CEO Ngo Bich Hanh, VAC founder Dinh Ba Thanh and YeaH1 CEO Le Phuong Thao offered insights into industry trends and challenges in Vietnam. Youth-driven market in Vietnam For Sohn Ki-won, CEO of Kim Jonghak Production, the company behind many popular Korean shows, Vietnam's demographic profile is a key reason for targeting the market. 'Vietnam is a young country with great growth potential,' she said, noting that the average age is around 33, with 40 percent of the population living in urban areas and a high proportion of content-consuming 20- and 30-somethings. Sohn pointed to Vietnam's high receptivity to Korean culture — from K-pop to Korean food — and its government's commitment to digital infrastructure development as fertile ground for collaboration. 'Coupled with Korea's own AI industry growth policies, we see the potential for sustainable cultural industry growth through cooperation,' she said. Kim Jonghak Production is exploring both remake proposals using its existing intellectual property and joint planning of original projects, including casting Vietnamese actors in Korean TV shows and co-producing Vietnamese shows. While there is no fixed release date, Son said romantic comedies and family dramas are genres that resonate strongly with Vietnamese audiences. Anticipated challenges include cultural and production differences. 'Despite our cultural affinity, there are differences in sentiment, storytelling and social taboos,' Sohn said, adding that language, time zones and decision-making pace could also slow processes. 'We need to address these from the early planning stage and proceed step-by-step.' From remakes to co-production BHD Vice President Ngo Bich Hanh highlighted her company's long history of bringing Korean content to Vietnam. In 1997, BHD became the first company to license a Korean show from KBS for broadcast on national TV. Since then, it has distributed numerous Korean films and produced remakes of major titles such as "Descendants of the Sun" and "Good Doctor." This year marks a shift toward deeper collaboration. BHD, together with Film and TV Asia, has signed a memorandum of understanding to co-produce an original Vietnam-Korea film, set to begin filming in Vietnam in March 2026 with release targeted for the end of that year. Ngo emphasized the need for institutional support. 'We hope Korea's government organizations will provide more incentives for international co-productions and location filming. Cinema is facing difficulties worldwide, so additional funding and location support will be crucial to staying strong and promoting Vietnamese and Korean culture together," she said.
Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
'Golden' from 'KPop Demon Hunters' tops music charts in US, UK
Song from Netflix film reaches No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, becoming 9th associated with Korean pop to reach highest spot The hype around Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters" shows no sign of abating, with a song from its soundtrack emerging as the summer's biggest pop hit since its release in June. "Golden" has climbed to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, beating out Alex Warren's "Ordinary" for the top spot, according to Billboard on Monday. This marks the ninth song associated with Korean pop to reach the highest spot on the chart, joining "Seven" by Jungkook and "Like Crazy" by Jimin, both of BTS, in 2023, among them. Sung by the fictional girl group Huntrix — voiced by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — it is also the first such song by female vocalists, according to Billboard. The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the US based on streaming, radio airplay and sales data. After debuting at No. 81 early last month, the hit song has steadily risen through the ranks, climbing to No. 23, then No. 6, No. 4 and No. 2, before finally reaching the highest spot. The track is also the first No. 1 on the Billboard Indonesia Hot 100 chart by any fictional act since the ensemble No. 1 "We Don't Talk About Bruno," which reigned for five weeks in February-March 2022, Billboard added. Earlier this month, "Golden" climbed to No. 1 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100, which ranks the UK's biggest songs of the week, based on audio and video streams, downloads, CDs and vinyl, compiled by Official Charts Co. It marked the first K-pop act to reach the top position since Psy topped the chart with "Gangnam Style" in 2012. "It represents another landmark moment for the globally dominating South Korean genre," Martin Talbot, chief executive officer of Official Charts, commented in an article published on the company's website on Aug. 1.
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Korea Herald
BTS' Jin wraps up solo concert tour
Jin of BTS concluded his monthslong concert tour in Amsterdam on Sunday local time, according to label Big Hit Music. He traveled to nine cities for 18 shows after kicking the trip off in Seoul in June. 'Don't be too disheartened that (this) tour is coming to an end, since there will be a new beginning with the team,' he told fans at the last show. He made a historic debut as the first Korean artist at The O2 Arena in London and the European leg of the tour alone drew 50,000 people. Meanwhile, he logged 400 million hits on Spotify with solo song 'Don't Say You Love Me.' The single was dropped in May as the focus track from his second solo album 'Echo,' which ranked No. 3 on Billboard 200.
