N. KOREA'S REMAKE OF KOREAN STORY

[Anchor Lead]

Chunhyangjeon or the Story of Chunhyang is one of the best-known Korean stories. North Korea has modernized the Korean classic into a traditional musical. Watch the following video of the North Korean Chunhyangjeon production to see how it differs from the South Korean version.

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A verse from Love Song, which most Koreans are familiar with. But unlike the pansori sung in South Korea, this version has different lyrics and is sung in an unfamiliar way. It's different from the traditional pansori rendition of "Chunhyangga" and the traditional musical "Chunhyangjeon." This production features a more westernized vocalization instead. This is North Korea's traditional opera Chunhyangjeon that follows the singing technique of traditional folk singers from Korea's western region. It is applauded as the origin and the crowning piece of North Korean traditional operas inspired by classical novels.

[Soundbite] KIM CHOL-WUNG(N. KOREAN DEFECTOR PIANIST) : "It sounds like an orchestra piece or modernized North Korean music. I can feel the sentiments that's unique to North Koreans."

It's still the love story between Chunhyang and Mong-ryong, but another main plot centers around the social class barriers that stand in their way. Also shown in this production is how Magistrate Byun exploits commoners.

[Soundbite] KIM HEE-SUN(NATIONAL GUGAK CENTER) : "South Korea tried to preserve traditional music, while North Korea aimed to modernize music so that people can relate to it better."

The entire two hours and 20 minutes of Chunhyangjen, the traditional opera was recorded for mass distribution in the 1990s in North Korea.