Jang Yu-jeong

Jang Yu-jeong (, born in 1976) is a Korean playwright, theater and musical director, and film director. She graduated from the Directing Department (Department of Theater) of Korea National University of Arts in 2004. Some of her notable works include the musicals "Kiss Me Tiger," "Finding Mr. Destiny," "Oh! While You Were Sleeping" and "Brothers Were Brave." Jang has received critical acclaim and awards for her work, including the 12th Korea Musical Awards for Lyrics and Best Work (2006), the 1st The Musical Awards for Lyrics and Script (2007), and the 3rd The Musical Awards for Lyrics and Script (2009).

She made her debut as film director in 2010 with Finding Mr. Destiny, adaptation of her own hit musical with the same title. Afterward she directed other film such as The Bros (2017), Honest Candidate (2020), and Honest Candidate 2 (2022).

Early life
Jang Yu-jeong was born in 1976 in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do. She was raised in the countryside of Yeosu, Jeollanam-do by her maternal grandparents. As a child, she learned to play the flute and gayageum. She also studied pansori and won the grand prize at the Honam Arts Festival.

Jang's interest in acting was sparked when she attended a church retreat and witnessed college students' impressive theater performance. This encounter inspired her to join a theater club while studying Korean literature at Korea University. She studied in England (1997–1998) and spent her part-time money watching musical performances like The Phantom of the Opera and Cats. The following year, she visited India and was inspired by Bollywood movies with their vibrant dancing and singing. This sparked the idea of combining the solemnity of British works with the popular and comical aspects of Indian works to create a unique performance. At the time, she didn't realize she could write it herself.

When Jang returned to South Korea, she saw a program promoting theater and felt drawn to pursue that path. In 2000, she re-enrolled at the Korea National University of Arts to study directing in the theater department. As a student, Jang was a cinephile and had the opportunity to take classes in the film department, located across the hall. She even had the chance to learn from director Byun Young-joo. She also took a class on writing musicals taught by American professor Calvin McClinton, which allowed her to express herself freely and eventually win a competition.

Songsan Night Flowers and Kiss Me Tiger
During her studies in the Directing Department at the Korea National University of Arts, Jang started writing play. Her debut work as a director was "There, Silently", a workshop piece at Yeonwoo Stage. In 2001, Jang began writing "The Tiger Maiden is Having an Affair," which is based on "The Tale of Kim Hyeon-gam-ho" from the 5th volume of Samguk yusa. The tale is about the unrequited love story of a woman who lives as a tiger by day and a human by night and an innocent young man, Kim Hyeon. The story, which is structured like a frame that goes back and forth between the past and the present, is filled with Korean humor.

The performance was presented in 2002 under the title "Songnyeon Yahwa" by the theater company Dure. The composition was overseen by musician Kim Hye-seong. The musical was performed at the Munhwa Ilbo Hall from July 4 to 25, 2002. The musical was directed by Son Nam-mok and starred Eom Ki-jun, Chu Jeong-hwa, Kwon Geun-yong, Shin Mun-seong, Jang Geum-jun, Lim Ki-hong, and others. It was performed again the following year at the Daehangno Arunguji Small Theater from April 9 to May 11, 2003. The cast includes Song Chang-ui, Han Ae-ri, Kim Hyeon-tae, Lee Ji-won, Kim Na-young, Lee Gil-woo, and Kim Jin-tae.

After graduating from the Korea National University of Arts in 2004, she began working in theater and film. While working as an assistant director, she earned less than 5 million won a year. In order to support herself, she also wrote movie scripts. Meanwhile, she also wrote a musical script called Finding Kim Jong-wook. She worked tirelessly, often sacrificing sleep. After a year and a half, she returned to the stage.

In 2005, Kang directed Musical "Love Quilt," which was performed at the Seoul Education and Culture Center Grand Theater from December 16 to 20. It was created to teach children the value of family. The story follows children and young magicians who want to change their parents, but learn to appreciate and cherish them during their adventures. The cast included Bae Moon-joo, Kim Sam-seok, Kang Mi-ri and others. The cast included Bae Moon-joo, Kim Sam-seok, Kang Mi-ri, and others.

In 2006, "The Tiger Maiden is Having an Affair," was performed under the title "Kiss Me Tiger" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Small Theater from July 18 to July 6. Also in 2006, Jang acted as director for musical Lee produced by Seoul Arts Center.

Oh! While You Were Sleeping
While recovering from a car accident, Jang stayed home and wrote a musical inspired by her hospital experience, where patients required constant care to prevent bedsores. Her volunteering in Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do, also influenced the idea. Jang addressed her mental health challenges by offering her services and stayed for a month and a half due to a shortage of volunteers. She penned the script for a musical called "Shall I Dress You Up?" as part of her graduation works in 2003. Set in a Catholic charity hospital, the musical revolves around Choi Byung-ho, a spinal paralysis patient who goes missing the night before his scheduled year-end TV interview for a local charity program.

In 2005, "Shall I Dress You Up?" became the first musical production of the Yeonwoo Theater Company, and its title was changed to "Oh! While You Were Sleeping." Directed by Jang herself, the musical premiered at the Daehakro Yeonwoo Small Theater from December 1, 2005, to January 8, 2006. It features original songs by Kim Hye-sung, who had previously worked with Jang on "Songsan Night Flowers." Renowned guitarist Lee Seong-jun was the music director, with choreographer Kim So-yi, stage designer Kim Kyung-hee, lighting designer Sung-Geun Joo, costume designer Ryu Se-jin, sound designer Lee Ji-ho, makeup designer Chae Song-hwa, and stage director Do Hyun-ji.

The musical received positive reviews, with praise for the vocal performances of Jin Seon-kyu as Choi Byung-ho, Lee Sang-eun as Doctor Lee, and versatility of Jeon Byeong-wook as Peter in blending serious and comedic elements. The production won the Best Work Award and the Scriptwriter Award for Jang at the 12th Korea Musical Awards. It was also nominated for the Best Re-Performance Award at the 1st The Musical Awards.

Producer Yoo In-soo took a risk by financing the musical "Oh! While You Were Sleeping" using his house as collateral and credit card debt. The production was a huge success, with all 90 seats filled to capacity daily. The production also won the Writer Award and the Best Musical Award at the 12th Korea Musical Awards.

In early 2007, Yoo In-soo successfully cleared all his debts. Despite receiving offers to perform at large theaters, he turned them down, feeling that they were not the right fit for his work. Yoo In-soo believes that large theater productions can be difficult without well-known actors. He plans to focus on performing in small theaters for the next 2-3 years to build a reputation for his work. "After the premiere success, the offers for Jang poured in. 'It was so scary,' she says, 'because I had just gotten the flicker of a 200-seat stage and I woke up to this overwhelming amount of promise and expectation. Everyone waits for an opportunity to come along, but I knew that if I grabbed for anything more than that, my inadequacies would be exposed.'"The musical "Oh! While You Were Sleeping" ran at the Daehangno Art Theater Tree and Water from September 2006 to July 2007. New actors Kim Ji-sung, Kim Jae-beom, Kim Moon-sung, Kim Ji-sun, and Oh Yoon-joo joined the cast, along with Jeon Byeong-wook and Yoo Ha-na, who appeared 2005 premiere.

The fourth season of the show ran from January 6 to July 22, 2007, at the Daehakro Arts Center Hall 4. The cast for this season included Jeong Ui-wook and Park Hoon as Father Peter, Kim Moon-seong and Ahn Se-ho as Choi Byung-ho, Park Bo-kyung and Lee Jin-hee as Choi Min-hee, Yoo Ha-na and Kim Na-jung as Kim Jung-yeon, Kim Jae-beom and Seong Du-seop as Doctor Lee, Kim Ji-seong and Kim Jin-hee as Lee Gil-rye, and Park So-young as Jeong Sook-ja. The fifth season began on July 25 at Le Meilleur Theater and concluded on October 26, 2008.

Since 2016, Lee Ji-yeon took over as director.

Melodrama
Jang went to India for the second time. While writing the foundation for 'Finding Kim Jong-wook' that was developed from 2002, Jang went back to her original intention and wrote a play script. The work she brought to the stage after one year of focusing on writing a play script titled Melodrama. the third work of 'Ida's Stage discovery Series' organised by Ida Entertainment in 2007.

Play Melodrama centers around five characters: Kim Chan-il and Kang Seo-kyung, who have been married for 10 years; siblings Park Mi-hyeon and Park Jae-hyun, along with their friend Ahn So-yi. The siblings and Ahn So-yi were involved in a car accident in their youth, resulting in the loss of their parents and Ahn So-yi's brother. Mi-hyeon suffered a loss of intelligence, while Jae-hyun received a heart transplant from Ahn So-yi's deceased brother. Following the accident, Jae-hyun becomes engaged to Ahn So-yi. It turns into chaos after Kang Seo-kyung has an affair with Park Jae-hyun, and Kim Chan-il has an affair with Park Mi-hyeon.

With Jang as director, Melodrama was first performed at Daehangno Cultural Space Ida 2nd Theater from September 9 to November 4, 2007, with a cast that included Jo Han-chul, Jang Young-nam, Kim Ji-seong, Lee Shin-seong, Lee Jin-hee, and Park So-young. It was extended from November 8 to December 31, 2007. The play won of the 2008 Dong-A Theater Award. The play was later re-performed at Daehangno Cultural Space Ida 2 from September 5 to November 2, 2008. Kim Sung-ryung joined the original cast, replacing Jang Young-nam as Yoo-kyung. Kim Jin-hee and Jeong Dong-hyun replaced Lee Shin-seong.

In January 2015, Melodrama returned for the first time in about 6 years. This stage was co-organized by Seoul Arts Center (President Hak-chan Ko) and Ida Entertainment. Running until February 15. Produced by Sang-won, held at the Seoul Arts Center Free Small Theater in Nambuhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Starring Park Won-sang and Choi Dae-hoon as Chan-il, Bae Hae-sun and Hong Eun-hee as Seo-kyung, Park Sung-hoon and Jo Kang-hyun as Jae-hyeon, Kim Na-mi and Park Min-jung as So-yi, and Jeon Kyung-soo as Mi-hyeon.

Musical Finding Mr. Destiny
Inspired by a drunk man at Dolgoji Station in Seoul in 2002, Jang wrote the hit musical "Finding Kim Jong-wook." She went to India three times for further research to develop the story and characters. While the plot and characters were finalized, Jang needed to rationalize why the protagonist, Ji-woo, didn't search for her first love, Kim Jong-wook, despite having his resident registration card. Once she resolved this issue, she completed the script in just three days. This musical became her first full-fledged directing work.

It was started as a university performance directed by herself and composed fellow student Kim Hye-seong. The production, which had a budget of ₩100,000 (US$87.31), starred Kim Ji-hyun as the female lead, Jeon Byeong-wook as Kim Jong-wook, and Min Jun-ho in multiple roles, and it was performed as a graduation performance at the Black Box Theater of Korea National University of Arts. The performance was well received by their professors, leading to an official invitation to the 15th Istropolitana Project, an international student theater festival held in Bratislava, Slovakia from June 26 to June 30, 2004. In December 2004, Dolgochi, the theater club of the university, performed the musical at Jayu Small Theater for three days as an incubator performance with Kim Ji-hyun reprising her role. An encore performance took place in the same venue in February 2005. The incubator performance was selected as the best work at CJ Entertainment's 'Musical Showcase' and CJ Entertainment acquired the performance rights in 2004 and collaborated with Musical Haven for the joint production.

Following a survey of 1,000 musical enthusiasts by CJ Entertainment in 2005, Oh Man-seok and Um Ki-joon, the top-ranked male actors, were selected as leads. Both actors are popular among the main target audience of women in their 20s and 30s and have previously worked together in popular musicals. The female lead was Oh Na-ra. The production company incorporated audience feedback into marketing, creating posters based on survey results about first loves. A photo exhibition titled 'April in Love' featuring the cast was held at Daehangno Semihwarang. They also introduced a new royalty payment system for lyricists and composers based on sales.

Directed by Kim Dal-joong, the musical premiered on June 2, 2006 and ran at Daehangno Arts Center 1 until July 30, 2006. It has achieved a record-breaking seat occupancy rate of over 92% (80% paid). As a result, CJ Entertainment has decided to extend the run of the musical by two weeks to August 15. It won four awards at the 1st The Musical Awards, with Jang winning Best Lyricist/Screenwriter, Jeon Byeong-wook winning Best Supporting Actor, and Oh Man-seok and Oh Na-ra winning Most Popular Actor and Actress. The musical was also nominated for Best Composition (Kim Hye-sung) and Best Work. It won first place in the category of Best Creative Musical of 2006 as voted by Interpark netizens.

In September 2006, the musical "Finding Kim Jong-wook" held auditions for the cast and returned for a second season in December 2006. Jang as director. Oh Na-ra reprised her role as the female lead, An Yu-jin joined her in the same role, while Shin Sung-rok, Won Ki-joon, and Jeon Byeong-wook, who was popular as a multi-man at the time of the premiere, were triple-cast as a Kim Jong-wook. The multi-man role, which included 18 different roles, was played by Kim Se-jun. The production was staged at the Seoul Daehangno Arts Center from December 2006.

For the third season, directed by Kim Ji-yeon the female lead role was triple cast, with Oh Na-ra, Ahn Yu-jin, and Kim Ji-hyun sharing the role. The male leads were played by Park Dong-ha, Kim Mu-yeol, and Kim Jae-beom. The multi-character role, was played by Lim Ki-hong and Jin Seon-kyu. Under the direction of Kim Ji-yeon and the musical direction of Jeong Jun, the production opened at Daehakro Arts Plaza on October 23, 2007.

Kim Dong-yeon joined as 4th directors in the middle of season 3 (In 2008). For the fall 2008 season, it was staged as an open run at Daehangno Arts Center 1 from September 5. Lee Yul alternated the lead role of Kim Jong-wook with Kim Jae-beom and Jeong Min. In the role of a woman looking for her first love, Jo Min-ah and Kwak Sun-young were joined by the original Kim Ji-hyun. The 'multi-man', with 22 roles, was triple cast with Lee Chang-hee, Moon Yong-hyun and Jo Hui.

The fourth season in 2009, directed by Kim Dong-yeon, featured a new stage design with upgraded lighting, music, and choreography. The new male leads were Kim Tae-han and Jo Kang-hyun, and the female leads were Jeon Mi-do and Choi Bo-young, selected through an open audition with over 400 applicants on February 9, 2009. They performed alongside Oh Na-ra and Park Dong-ha from the previous season, with Kim Jong-goo and Choi Dae-hoon playing a multi-man role portraying 22 characters.

Musical 'Brothers Were Brave'
The musical "Brothers Were Brave" is a family story is set in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The plot revolves on conflict between two brothers Lee Seok-bong and Lee Joo-bong of the Andong Lee clan who attend their father's funeral over their father's inheritance (a winning lottery ticket) and the girl next door, Aurora.

Jang Yoo-jung and music director Jang So-young worked together in Brothers Were Brave.

The musical "Brothers Were Brave" debuted in 2008, featuring the main characters Lee Seok-bong (played by Park Jung-hwan) and Lee Joo-bong (played by Song Yong-jin). The show premiered at Jayu Theater in Daehangno on March 22 and ran until April 6 as the inaugural production of the "Well-Made" musical series by PMC Production in 2008. In November 2008, the second performance moved to the 600-seat Doosan Art Center Yeongang Hall. In May 2009, the third performance served as the opening performance of COEX Artium, which has been renovated to have a capacity of 808 seats.

In 2015, 6th Encore from October 23 at the Hongik University Daehangno Art Center Grand Theater until November 8.

Musical Legally Blonde
Jang and music director Jang So-young worked together again in the Korean premiere of the Broadway musical Legally Blonde produced by PMC Production. For this Korean performance, Lee Ji-hye participated in the adaptation, and Kang Ok-soon was the choreographer. The show was performed at the COEX Artium in Samseong-dong from November 7, 2009, to February 28, 2010.

Based on Amanda Brown's 2001 novel, the musical "Legally Blonde" was a hit movie starring Reese Witherspoon before being adapted for the stage in 2007. With music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and direction by Jerry Mitchell, the Broadway production opened at the Palace Theater in New York City. The story follows Elle Woods, a popular blonde student who enrolls in Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner. In Korean premiere, triple cast as Elle Woods were Lee Ha-nui, Kim Ji-woo, and Jessica.

2010 encore was performed at the COEX Artium in Samseong-dong from November 19, 2010, to March 20, 2011.

Film Finding Mr. Destiny
Around 2006, Jang prepared a romantic comedy with a female character as the main lead. At that time, she was also gearing up for her directorial debut. The project was a comedy but had a bit of a strong tone. Unfortunately, it fell through in the end. Later, she worked on two screenplay projects, one being a thriller and the other a romantic comedy. When "Oh, While You Were Sleeping" was in pre-production, she did the final adaptation. Despite trying her hand at several projects, none of them panned out successfully. Even the film adaptation rights for "Oh, While You Were Sleeping" and "Brothers Were Brave" were returned to her. She began to doubt if movies were the right path for her until one day she met CEO Min Jin-soo and director Min Kyu-dong on an airplane, reminiscent of a movie scene. She had a good feeling about Soo Film's project, and a year later, they approached her to collaborate on a musical. Initially, she declined due to her schedule, but a few months later, they proposed turning "Finding Mr. Kim Jong-wook" into a film and unexpectedly suggested she direct it. Despite their efforts to persuade her, she was initially hesitant. It's like when a friend brings a new partner home, and you suddenly feel like they might be the one. In the past, signing rights contracts didn't guarantee a film, but with these two, she felt confident they could bring the project to life. When she finally came to her senses, she accepted the role of director.

In 2010, CJ Entertainment decided to adapt the musical Finding Mister Destiny into a film. This marked the first time a domestically created musical had been turned into a movie. CJ Entertainment served as the investor and the film was produced by the company Soo Film. The romantic comedy portrays the love story between the female protagonist, who cannot forget her first love 'Kim Jong-wook' whom she met while traveling in India, and the man who attempts to locate her first love through the 'First Love Finding Company'. The role of the female protagonist Seo Ji-woo, who seeks her first love, was portrayed by Im Soo-jung. Gong Yoo for the role of the male protagonist Han Ki-joon. The musical's playwright, Jang Yoo-jung, directed the film adaptation herself.

The film features 13 actors from the musical 'Kim Jong-wook', including Kim Dong-wook, Shin Sung-rok, Oh Man-seok, Kim Moo-yeol, Jeong Seong-hwa, and Um Ki-joon, making cameo appearances.

Musical Those Days
Jang devoted the whole of 2012 to writing Those Days, a jukebox mystery musical featuring 25 songs sung by the late singer Kim Kwang-seok, including 'A Private's Letter', 'Around Thirty', 'I Loved You' and 'Becoming Dust'. Produced by Ida Entertainment, it will be performed as the opening work at the Daehakro Musical Center Grand Theater (1,000 seats) from April to the end of June. The story revolves around the disappearance of the president's daughter and her bodyguard at a concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations, and the head of the Blue House security team assigned to solve the case recalls the incident 20 years ago when his partner disappeared with an unidentified woman who was in charge of his security, and investigates the connection between the two incidents. The key is how well Kim Kwang-seok's songs fit into the story. This is the inherent limitation of a jukebox musical. A jukebox musical is also Jang's first challenge.

Writer and director Jang and music director Jang So-young worked together again. A jukebox musical is a musical that uses popular pop songs to tell a story. After 'Mamma Mia!', many musicals were made in Korea using popular songs, but only a few were steady sellers. 'Those Days' made with famous songs sung by the late Kim Kwang-seok falls into this category. 'Those Days!', which premiered in 2013 with a script and direction by Jang Yu-jeong, deals with the secrets of a mysterious disappearance case set in the Blue House security office 20 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China in 1992. Since its premiere in 2013, it has continued through seasons until 2020, surpassing 550,000 audience members.

Film The Bros
In 2017, she released film The Bros, based on the musical "Brothers Were Brave" that she wrote. After seven years of challenges, she completed the film and it premiered on November 2, 2017. Principal photography started on January 6, 2017, and ended on March 5, 2017.

The film follows the story of Seok-bong (played by Ma Dong-seok), who invested all his fortune in excavating relics, and his younger brother Joo-bong (played by Lee Dong-hwi), who is on the verge of losing his job, as they meet Aurora (Lee Hanee) after a chance accident. Aurora reveals a secret that changes their lives and leads to a transformation of their hometown of Andong. The film showcases Andong's historical sites, including the Uiseong Kim Clan's ancestral home and the Toegye Taesil, adding authenticity to the story. The historical accuracy of the film is enhanced by filming at these designated cultural heritage sites.

Honest Candidate Franchise
Her third film, Honest Candidate, starring Ra Mi-ran, Kim Mu-yeol, Na Moon-hee, Yoon Kyung-ho and Jang Dong-joo. Distributed by NEW, produced by Soofilm and Hongfilm), tells the story of Joo Sang-sook, a three-term member of the National Assembly for whom lying is the easiest thing to do, who suddenly becomes unable to lie one day before the election. It succeeded in the domestic box office by not only presenting comical situations involving lying, but also refreshingly satirizing the reality of Brazil at the time, and a sequel was released in 2018.

It is based on the hit film of the same name (original title: O Candidato Honesto) that was released in Brazil in 2014 and ranked first at the box office. The original was produced based on the screenplay by famous Brazilian screenwriter Paulo Cursino. It was released on February 12, 2020.

On February 9, 2021, at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards, Ra Mi-ran won the Best Actress Award for her role in the film Honest Candidate. During her acceptance speech, she confirmed that a sequel to the film was in the works. On August 6, 2021, the casting for Honest Candidate 2 was announced. Ra Mi-ran, Kim Mu-yeol and Yoon Kyung-ho were confirmed to be reprising their roles from the first film. Additionally, Seo Hyun-woo, Park Jin-joo, and Yoon Doo-joon joined the cast. Principal photography for Honest Candidate 2 began on July 31, 2021 and wrapped up on October 31.

Other
Mentor at Chungmu Art Center.

In 2018, she was serving as deputy director and closing ceremony director for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

In 2023, Jang's works was screened as part of programming of Exhibition of Korean Female Directors” alongside works by other female directors such as Yoon Ga-eun, Yoon Dan-bi, Jung Joo-ri, Han Ji-won, and Kim Se-in at The 19th Monterrey International Film Festival in Mexico.