Island Story revolves around Jeju Island and the events connected to it. What place does the island hold in the creation process of the performance?
In April 2014, we experienced a very tragic incident. A ferry called the MV Sewol sank, killing around 300 high school students who were travelling to Jeju Island on a field trip. This was a very traumatic incident that had a huge impact on Korean society. After the incident, we created a piece about it. One of the questions I had was: how do we mourn? How do we carry out this ritual in our society? Although it was a tragic incident, as time passes, people try to forget about it because they have to move on. For artists like me and many other Korean artists, remembering is very important. We thought that we needed a specific approach and form of ritual to maintain this human activity. Four years ago, I came across some articles about the massacre that took place on Jeju Island 70 years ago. At that time, some bones were found under Jeju International Airport. Throughout the investigation, it was revealed that the bones belonged to people who had disappeared 70 years ago, and DNA testing helped some people to identify their deceased family members. I was struck by this news, which I had not known about before. How can we commemorate those thousands of people who died? That's why we all came to Jeju Island, which is now a very famous tourist destination and a very beautiful place, but which has a difficult, tragic history.
Could you tell me more about the history of this and its significance?
I wasn't very familiar with this historical incident either. Basically, after we were liberated from Japanese colonization in 1945, there were periods of ideological conflict. At that time, the division between north and south had not yet been finalised. The Soviet Union came down from the north and the US Army came up from the south because the Korean Peninsula was in a very important geographical position at that time. After the liberation, Korea was on the verge of dividing itself again due to the presence of the Soviet Union and the US Army. At the time, we were planning to hold presidential elections, but most people did not want separate elections for the north and south. However, some politicians wanted a South Korean president, and the US Army supported them.
The people of Jeju were fiercely against these separate elections, and so they were labelled communists. They were branded 'red'. The Korean police and soldiers came to the island and started killing people who were rioting. People didn't even know why they were being shot dead. Some people fled to the mountains, and the police and soldiers killed their families. Many young people fled to Japan again. The US Army knew about the massacre but did not intervene to stop it. Around three million people in Jeju Island were killed in those seven years. During this period, we held separate elections, after which the Korean War broke out and we were completely divided.
In Island Story, you explore the past through living memory and personal narratives rather than official historical discourse. Why did you choose this approach?
When we started looking into this issue, we found it so overwhelming and vast that we thought it would be impossible to represent the entire tragic massacre in one theatre piece. We also wanted to address testimony. We interviewed two sons and one daughter of the victims. They survived those difficult times and were able to recount these hidden histories about what happened to their families. Their memories were very detailed, although memory always changes over time. We tried to carefully record and listen to their stories, and then embody them in the actors' physical bodies, so that we could also convey the testimony as witnesses, as people living in the present day who have heard the stories. We also felt it was our duty to talk about it. The actors don't try to represent a character. We try to convey what we have heard and to be more distant and objective about it, so that we do not mystify it or add too much emotion or acting while we are giving our testimony.
You mentioned that you work collectively. How does this work in practice in Island Story?
First, we thought it was important to experience this island for ourselves. So, we visited the island three times together and saw many historical massacre sites. Then we visited families' houses and conducted interviews. We also hiked up Jeju Island's highest mountain together. While interviewing the victims, we also visited many coastal areas where many people had died. Gradually, this island came to us. After this experience, we spent two intensive weeks together in a residency. There were not only actors, but also a puppet designer who collected wood from the mountains and the sea to make a large puppet and also sound artist.
You are capturing these memories at a time when we can still access them, but they are on the verge of vanishing. What role can theatre play in sustaining and transforming the transmission of these memories today?
This happened seventy years ago, but today, as you know, the US military has invaded Iran and many people have been killed. Similar things are still happening around the world. So this is not only about the past. It is not exactly the same situation, but so many people continue to be killed for no reason. And with them disappear so many stories. Theatre can be a ritual practice that connects us to what is happening in Iran, Palestine or Ukraine. For me, theatre is a way of creating connections.
What questions would you like to leave for the audience to consider?
I’ve been thinking about the concept of ritual. How can I create more universal rituals that are not based on a specific religion? I want to create a spiritual ritual that we can use to invite more people and provide a space where they can mourn and remember. Where they can connect with each other. We need to find ways to maintain our spiritual connection to others' pain and other important human values. That's one of the reasons why I do theatre.
Interview conducted by Liliana Coutinho in March 2026