YTN KOREAN
Park Kyong Ju, CEO of Korea’s first multicultural theater company / YTN KOREAN
An era of a 2 million multicultural population. There is Korea’s first multicultural theater company created to understand differences and live together. Let’s meet their story together. Jimin, a boy who transferred to Korea from India. Dark skin color and slurred speech lead to discrimination from peers. However, this conflict does not last long. As Jimin helps a friend in trouble, the children come to understand each other. It is a creative performance introducing Indian culture under the title of ‘Masala Musical,’ the representative spice of India.
[Lee Ye-jin·Park Min-kyung / Audience·Jaun High School 2nd year: I usually thought that there was not much discrimination in this (multiculturalism), but watching the play gave me an opportunity to think about discrimination that I hadn’t thought of, and I think my awareness has improved.]
Most of the main characters on stage are our neighbors from abroad. Each actor’s origin is also different, such as from the Philippines, Mongolia, or China. Their stories of choosing Korea are different, such as studying abroad, marriage, or migration.
[Ang Nash / Main character ‘Jimin’, from the Philippines: I want to convey the meaning that everyone, whether American, Indian, Filipino, or Japanese, is a person who exists on earth and has the same rights.]
The multicultural theater troupe Salad is presented on this stage. It has been presenting a play stage for 10 years already with the theme of multiculturalism, which we have overlooked. Let’s meet CEO Park Kyong Ju, who leads the theater company Salad, and hear more about it.
[Park Kyong Ju/ CEO of multicultural theater company ‘Salad’]
We are the only theater company in Korea where migrants directly participate in creative activities and go on stage.
In my case, I went to Germany to study, and at that time, it was just after East and West Germany were reunified, so it was when Neo-Nazis were has started their activities. It can be said that I am doing this now because of the culture shock they received when they were found dead on the subway or beaten and taken to the hospital.
Salad troupe originally started as an internet media company in 2005. In 2009, it was reorganized into eight languages and changed its name to SaladTV. Multicultural Broadcasting Station. At that time, the troupe was also founded as a salad theater. Our theater company is performing in Korean language
because the performance is to improve the perception of Korean multiculturalism and change the perception of Korean people.
■ Multicultural Theater Company, what do you do?
[Park Kyong Ju/ CEO of multicultural theater company ‘Salad’]
At first, I did a lot of plays that raised social issues, focusing on human rights plays. Since 2011, I’ve been doing creative musicals that children can watch, With a happy ending story that introduces Asian culture, Salad did a lot of school performances, and that’s what I’m most proud of.
Among the things that Salad can do, the most important thing is to inform society about a dignified existence. The case that I regret the most is the death of a Vietnamese woman, Tran Tanh Lan. The remains are delivered by courier to her mother. That’s what I’m currently making into a documentary.
■ How has our society changed in the 10 years you devoted your life to ‘multiculturalism’?
[Park Kyong Ju/ CEO of multicultural theater company ‘Salad’]
We’ve always said that we should follow the model of developed countries, but from my point of view, Korea has some good points. We are the yellow race. The problem of discrimination that occurs when a person of color enters a yellow society is on a slightly different level from the discrimination that occurs in a white country or in a country that discriminates against a person of color who had a colony.
In addition, Korea has freedom of religion. Society is very rational toward migrant workers, multicultural families, marriage migrant women, and international students. (But) this kind of problem is not solved by getting better once, so I think it’s a problem that needs to be constantly changed, so I think I have to keep going.
■ Park Kyong Ju’s dream, salad’s dream
[Park Kyong Ju/ CEO of multicultural theater company ‘Salad’]
Now I am the head of a theater company called Salad, but I think this job is also a kind of artist job.
So, in a way, as an artist, I do not just exhibit at art galleries and sell my work, but go out into society and do creative things that artists can do. This creates new things that I can do as much as I can as an artist, which is a very important task in my life.
At that level, I am currently running a theater company, but in the future, if there is something I can do within the keywords of diversity and human rights, and I am interested, I want to take on new challenges anytime. ⒸYTN 2018
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다문화 인구 200만 시대. 서로 다름을 이해하며 함께 살아가자는 취지에서 만든 우리나라 최초 다문화 극단이 있습니다. 이들이 펼치는 이야기를 함께 만나보시죠. 인도에서 한국으로 전학 온 소년, 찌민. 진한 피부색과 어눌한 말투에 또래 친구들의 차별이 이어집니다. 하지만 이런 갈등은 오래가지 않는데요. 찌민이 어려움에 빠진 친구를 도와주면서 아이들은 서로를 이해하게 됩니다. 인도의 대표 향신료 ‘마살라’라는 제목으로 인디아 문화를 소개하는 창작 공연입니다.
[이예진·박민경 / 관객·자운고 2학년 : 평소에 이런 거(다문화)에 별로 차별이 없다고 생각했는데 연극을 보면서 생각지도 못한 차별에 대해서 생각하는 계기가 되고 인식이 개선됐다는 생각이 듭니다.] 무대에 선 주인공 대부분은 외국에서 온 우리네 이웃입니다. 필리핀이나 몽골, 중국 등 출신지도 다르고요. 유학과 결혼 이주처럼 한국을 택한 사연도 제각각입니다.
[안 내쉬 / 주인공 ‘찌민’ 역·필리핀 출신 : 미국인이든, 인도사람이든, 필리핀, 일본 출신이든 모두가 똑같이 지구 상에 존재하는, 똑같은 권리를 가진 사람이라는 뜻을 전하고 싶습니다.] 이 무대를 선보인 건 다문화 극단 샐러드인데요. 우리가 잘 모르고 지나쳐 온 다문화를 주제로 벌써 10년째 연극 무대를 선보이고 있습니다. 극단 샐러드를 이끄는 박경주 대표를 만나 자세한 이야기 들어보겠습니다. (중략) ⒸYTN 2018
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PARK KYONG JU 