The Naver Webtoon “Jeong Nyeon,” which delves into female gukgeuk (yeoseong gukgeuk), an all-female Korean theater genre popular in the 1950s and 60s, will be adapted into a TV series this October. The webtoon won the grand prize at the Bucheon Comics Awards, Korea’s top comic festival, earlier this month. Original creators Seo Ireh and Namon said, “After the war, it was refreshing to see changgeuk [a traditional Korean opera with pansori elements] thrive with female performers. We chose female gukgeuk to highlight women’s aspirations and desires, portraying them candidly, which likely resonated with many readers.”
The webtoon “Jeong Nyeon” follows the journey of Yoon Jeong-nyeon, a naturally talented singer, who joins and grows within an all-female gukgeuk troupe shortly after the Korean War in the 1950s. The unique concept of yeoseong gukgeuk, where women play all roles including male characters, and the attractive art style garnered significant popularity throughout its four-year run from 2019 to 2022.
The creators, reflecting on their work, said, “We wanted to highlight the women who performed as brilliant flowers despite the despairing times.” The story is set in 1956, three years after the Korean War armistice. Yoon Jeong-nyeon, an impoverished girl from Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, with little education, joins the gukgeuk troupe to become wealthy through her singing talent. Seo, who handled the story, said, “We wanted to honestly depict women’s ‘desires’ and their efforts to fulfill them,” adding, “With limited historical records, working on the series felt like searching for fossils.” Yeoseong gukgeuk gradually faded from public view with the advent of television in the 1960s and disappeared from history due to the lack of successors.
The two creators developed their story by examining photographs and various academic papers about first-generation yeoseong gukgeuk actors. Many moments of inspiration came from photos of actors who had already passed away. Seo explained, “In the work, there’s a scene where Moon Ok-kyung, a top male role performer, takes wedding photos with a fan. This was inspired by a real photo of the late gukgeuk actor Cho Geum-aeng with her fan.” The character of the troupe leader, Kang So-bok, was inspired by a line from a paper that described Im Chun-aeng, the “prince” of yeoseong gukgeuk, as having strong pride in her artistry but little interest in managing a troupe. Seo added, “We combined the limited resources with imagination to explore how the story could unfold.”
The artwork also posed challenges. Illustrator Namon explained that she used a 3D sketching program to work on the characters’ expressions, gestures, and costumes, but the lack of visual references from that era made it difficult. “I spent all my time, except for sleep, watching historical dramas and yeoseong gukgeuk videos on YouTube to accurately recreate the costumes,” she said.
Seo Ireh, a story writer with 10 years of experience, began writing internet novels in middle school. She started by posting fan fiction based on the Harry Potter series, dreaming of becoming a writer. For a time, she faced continuous failures. “My work wasn’t popular at all. Out of ten series, only one comment said it was ‘interesting,’” she said. “Just having someone read it excited me and motivated me to work harder. That’s when my dream of becoming a writer took shape.”
Namon had a passion for film and directing since high school and dreamed of becoming a film director. However, upon realizing her shyness, she decided to pursue a career as a comics artist instead. This work, “Jeong Nyeon,” marks her debut in the field. Her experience in sketching characters and backgrounds while imagining scenes for films proved helpful. “I wanted to convey detailed emotions and gestures of the characters through drawings, similar to film,” Namon said. “With this debut, I hope to become a ‘happy, long-term artist’ who continuously improves and loves creating art.”
