Taekwondo Meets Musical... Musical 'Taekwon, Fly High'

Musical 'Taekwon, Fly High' performance scene Photo by Live·Culturholic

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] “We invested so much time in practice that the audience cannot tell who is in the Taekwondo demonstration team and who is a musical actor.”

The musical Taekwondo, Fly High opened at the National Museum of Korea Theater. At the press call on the 23rd, director Kim Myunghoon said, “We put a lot of thought into ensuring Taekwondo and musical elements are equally fused.”

Until now, Taekwondo, the national martial art, has collaborated with various genres, but this is the first time it has been combined with a musical. Seventeen actors and five members of the Taekwondo demonstration team blended harmoniously. To absorb each other's fields, they underwent six months of combined vocal, acting, and Taekwondo training. Kang Byungwon, CEO of the production company Live Co., Ltd., explained, “The actors perform live singing while executing the performance, which is a significant distinction from existing non-verbal Taekwondo shows.”

As the performance has great expansiveness, the music is also thrilling. Composer Sung Hankyung said, “Since it is a youth story, it was important that the prelude intuitively conveys excitement,” adding, “We enhanced the impact of the performance using vigorous percussion and FX (sound effects). Traditional Korean instruments such as the piri, taepyeongso, and kkwaenggwari were used in the Taekwondo dance music.”

The actors’ breaking demonstrations are also impressive. Artistic director Park Dongyoung, a professor in the Taekwondo Department at Baekseok University, praised, “I was initially worried whether musical actors could handle roles like those in the Taekwondo demonstration team, but that concern was unfounded. This is the first completed work that can greatly contribute to securing the market for Taekwondo.”

Of course, there were many difficulties during the process. Actor Jo Younghyun, who plays Park Doojin, confessed, “Out of twenty-two actors, fourteen were new to Taekwondo. It was a heavy burden.” Actor Kim Junsik, who plays the same role, also said, “There was a request not to perform Taekwondo half-heartedly. I worked really hard not to disgrace the demonstration team. The demonstration team members also sincerely committed to acting, which helped create a great production.”

Um Jimin, who received the Golden Buzzer for a Taekwondo performance on the famous American show America's Got Talent, also took the stage. He said, “I am grateful to the staff and actors for turning me, who only did sports, into a solo performer. This will remain a special memory in my life.”

A representative from the production company explained, “This is a future-oriented work that will expand overseas along with K-content within the next 3 to 10 years, beyond Korea.”

The musical Taekwondo, Fly High is set at Korea Sports High School and tells the growth story of promising Taekwondo athletes. The Taekwondo team, facing the risk of losing their training hall to the judo team due to poor performance, competes in the ‘Taekwondo Strongest Festival’ and showcases their achievements.

The performance runs until the 3rd of next month at the National Museum of Korea Theater.

Taekwondo, Fly High plans to expand overseas along with K-content over the next 3 to 5 to 10 years. It is a work created with the future in mind. The show runs until July 3rd.

“This is a future-oriented work that will expand overseas along with K-content within the next 3 to 10 years, beyond Korea.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.