A musical shares the story of forgotten 19 activists from dark colonial period

[Anchor]

Do you know about the 'Napco Project' during the Japanese colonial period?

In 1945, 19 patriots planned an independence operation by abandoning their identities.

New light is being shed on this ill-fated independence operation, which was forgotten due to its failure, in musical form.

Reporter Kim Sang-hyeop has the story.

[Report]

["I will find my own way!"]

During the dark days of the Japanese colonial period!

Yoo Il-hyung, who succeeded as a businessman in the United States, witnesses the death of an independence activist and decides to join the independence movement himself.

["It will heal your wounds. Just try it once!"]

Becoming a spy for the U.S. intelligence agency, Yoo Il-hyung returns to his colonized homeland, establishes a pharmaceutical company, and digs up high-level information from Japan.

["I’ll be fine without you, I will be okay!"]

A forgotten page of history that no one knew about has been transformed into a musical, crossing over 80 years of time.

The operation name, Napco Project, is based on the secret independence operation of Dr. Yoo Il-han, the founder of Yuhan Corporation, and 18 unnamed Koreans.

[Yoo Joon-sang/playing Il-hyung: "I thought 'Wow, how can someone live like this?', and I wanted to somehow share this with the audience, in a good way...."]

In particular, this musical sublimates the darkness of the era and the tragedy of history with wit and humor.

[Shin Sung-rok/playing Il-hyung: "It's a serious period, but we will laugh. That kind of feeling. I think that actually evokes a more touching emotion. Tears within wit, tears within laughter...."]

With a production cost exceeding 10 billion won, 'Swing Days - Codename A' is the first musical project challenge prepared over three years by writer Kim Hee-jae of the film 'Silmido,' which is also something to watch for.

This is KBS News, Kim Sang-hyeop.