On August 16th, the musical “On My Way” is being performed live onstage at Baekam Art Hall. The musical is open to the public and although there is no entrance fee, we will be collecting donations at the end of the performance to support Wooridul School(우리들학교) whose students we have been working in close contact with to launch this musical. They are members of our cast.

Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to work with the best student directing team anyone could hope for. Practices are always fun and although our cast is small and our time limited, we are working our hardest to successfully put this musical onstage and let the audience take with them a message of love, sadness, and hope.

I visited 우리들학교 in person. The school takes up only 2 stories of an average hagwon building in Seoul. Resources are scarce, students even more so, and teachers are trying their best to lead the students into success both in the classroom and in the real world. But with lack of government and private funding, this is not easy for them. Especially with a lifelong stigmatization of North Koreans prevalent in South Korea, the students face discrimination in every corner; they are criticized for their accent, their looks, and even their very identity as Koreans.

The script is based on interviews with the actual students who have defected from North Korea. They have been very brave in sharing their stories with us and as the playwright, I have struggled with the fact that this plot line I'm basing my writing on, is real. I cannot imagine having to live through a life bereft of parents and feeling helpless and discriminated against in a nation which is supposed to be my country. The fact that these students, these defectors are alive and have the courage to tell their stories of sadness and isolation and guilt is remarkable. They are still smiling and living their lives with happiness and putting their 100% effort into every endeavor; this illustrates the sheer amount of fortitude they possess. The world has tried to break them through endless trials and tribulations, but they are unbroken.

Everyone, Koreans in particular, should be paying more attention to North Korean Defectors. We should help them financially to get them back on their feet. We should be moving towards creating social structures that provide them with quality education and new opportunities. We are one people; we must learn not to disregard the needs of others because we are so fixated on our own concerns. It is our moral duty to help others in need, and the North Korean Defectors are in need.

Please come and watch “On My Way”. Be our audience. Your support is much appreciated.

Thank you.