The Liberation Symphony

A dramatic thriller, The Liberation Symphony is the true epic story of one family’s defection from North Korea. Two innocent South Korean young lovers are captured at the onset of the Korean War and conscripted into the North Korean People’s Army. Both are the grand prize winners of a recent national music competition and their talents are recognized by North Korea’s Premier, Kim Il Sung, and they rise quickly to prominence. Yoon Jung Ho, a concert pianist, and Choi Young Ae, a gifted soprano who soon becomes his wife, both personally serve Kim Il Sung, who bestows on them the titles of “People’s Composer” and “People’s Singer.” Pretending loyalty to the despot and later to his successor son, Kim Jong Il, the passionate musicians create and perform numerous propaganda songs and operas to promote the personality cult of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Jung Ho’s virulent anti-American anthem becomes one of the most popular songs in North Korea. Despite the honors, the couple always feel like puppets of the communist regime. 

Then, Young Ae is betrayed and poisoned to death. The current dictator, Kim Jong Il, commissions Jung Ho to compose a symphony on a grand scale to glorify his dead father, Kim Il Sung. Rebelling against Kim Jong Il’s wish, Jung Ho composes his own version based on the historical facts, not on fantasy. Through striking music and chorus, the symphony reveals the true condition of North Korea: millions are starving to death, over 200,000 political prisoners are detained in Yodok and other concentration camps, and the regime is hell-bent on developing a nuclear weapon despite the country being one of the poorest in the world. Jung Ho plans to smuggle the symphony out to the free world, but his attempt is detected and he is punished to death. However, through a torturous journey that spans three years, his children succeed in smuggling the symphony to South Korea. As The Liberation Symphony is performed triumphantly in Seoul in 2003, Jung Ho returns home at last in spirit through his music, and the captivated audience feel the two Koreas united as one.