Four 19th-Century Missionaries Reimagined as K-pop Idols in New Musical
Creatrip Team
a month ago
The musical concert 'The Mission: K' opens on the 30th at Seoul's Sejong Center, reimagining four real foreign figures who brought modern medicine and education to Joseon (Korea) about 140 years ago as contemporary K-pop idols called the 'Mission Boys.' The protagonists are Horace Allen (the first Western physician in Joseon), Horace Underwood (founder of the precursor to Yonsei University), Oliver Avison (former director of Severance Hospital), and Louis Severance (the American donor who funded medical missions). Director Jang Sang-young said the missionaries were in their early 20s when they arrived—similar in age to today's idols—so the show presents their passionate 'Joseon challenge' in a concert format to make history entertaining and relevant. Idol actors include MJ (Astro) as Allen, Jaeyoon (SF9) as Underwood, Kim Dong-jun (ZE:A) as Avison, and Ricky (Teen Top) as Severance. The production runs for three days through the 1st; creative leads are producer/music director Jang Sang-young, playwright Kim Eun-hye, and director Ahn Jin-seong.
