What Moved the British in the Udang Lee Hoe-Young Family's Musical Reading Drama?

[Seoul District News] British Actors Directly Convey the 'Sacrifice and Service' Message of Joseon’s Lee Hoe-yeong Family on Stage & Meaning Enhanced by the 17th Being Lee Hoe-yeong’s Martyrdom Anniversary

On the 17th and 18th, a narrated musical drama about the family of Udang Lee Hoe-young was presented to overseas audiences in London's West End.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jongno-gu (District Mayor Jeong Mun-heon) successfully concluded the two-day run of the narrated musical play "Tongin-dong 128 Beonji," held on the 17th and 18th at The Other Palace theater in London's West End.

The play, which tells the story of the Udang Lee Hoe-young family who gave up wealth and honor to join the independence movement, garnered significant attention domestically and successfully completed its first overseas performance, marking a successful finale.

The significance was heightened as the 17th marked the anniversary of Lee Hoe-young's martyrdom.

In this production planned by the Jongno Cultural Foundation, British actors conveyed the message of "sacrifice and service" of the Lee Hoe-young family from Joseon, a then unfamiliar Asian country.

In particular, the line from the play, "What are you going to do with your one and only youth?" was used to highlight his spirit.

Accordingly, the British production chose this message as the title instead of the proper noun "Tongin-dong 128 Beonji."

Hwang Won-seop, Executive Director of the Udang Lee Hoe-young Education and Culture Foundation, stated, "This should not merely be about introducing a Korean work abroad but should serve as a new starting point to improve relations between Korea and the UK based on historical facts."

A Dutch audience member who watched the performance commented, "I realized that this sad history is not only Korea's," and many British viewers were moved to tears during the show.

"Tongin-dong 128 Beonji" refers to the address where the Lee Hoe-young family, then the wealthiest, secretly entered and resided in China while raising funds for the independence movement after exile, and after liberation, their descendants registered it as their original home address.

Focusing on this connection, Jongno-gu planned the narrated musical play "Tongin-dong 128 Beonji" to reflect on this historical tragedy and share the noble life of Udang Lee Hoe-young and his family with future generations. It was produced as video content in 2021 to critical acclaim and performed this year at Changsin Art Hall as a Liberation Day commemorative event.

Udang Lee Hoe-young, a symbol of Korea's "noblesse oblige," is also a 10th-generation descendant of Lee Hang-bok, a first-class contributor to the Imjin War. His family produced nine prime ministers, earning the reputation of Samhan Gapjok, the most prestigious noble family.

District Mayor Jeong Mun-heon said, "Udang Lee Hoe-young is a representative figure who showed the sacrifice of the leadership during the nation's hardship. We will continue to prepare various stages highlighting figures who left significant marks on Jongno's historical culture."

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