The Classic Korean Movie Soundtrack

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Tonja Witcraft

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Aug 3, 2024, 3:22:11 PM8/3/24

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During the past 15 years, several Korean pop artists with established careers opted to put things on hold and attend Berklee to acquire new skills. Among them are songwriter Kim, Dong-ryool and vocalists Choi, Sung-soo, Jang, Hye-jin, Yangpa, and most recently, Lee, Sujin (a.k.a. Seomoontak).

After receiving his degree in 2000, Choi returned to Seoul. But the ballad style he was known for had waned, there was a new emphasis on dance music. So Choi adapted and began mixing in jazz, classical, and musical theater styles with his ballads at concerts. He also released a series of compilation albums of his top songs. In 2008, he became the CEO of Yedang Art TV cable station. He appears frequently on TV shows, including the live concert program EBS Space Gong-Kam, and the talk show Are You Going with Me?

In 1999, while Lee was still a Berklee student, a friend in Seoul connected with him and said that a Columbia University graduate needed music for his short film. The score that Lee completed in one day led to an opportunity to score the feature film Peppermint Candy by famed Korean director Lee, Chang-dong. Lee, Jaejin took a yearlong leave of absence from Berklee and returned to Seoul to score it. The venture paid off when the film won several festival awards and its director hired him to score his next film as well. After 13 years of composing for features, Lee is firmly established with Korean filmmakers and pens two to three scores annually.

Despite having a packed schedule, Yoonhan has carved out time for further education, anticipating that one day he will teach. He is currently finishing Ph.D. studies at Sangmyung University and writing his doctoral thesis on the music of Keith Jarrett.

After earning his degree in professional music, he returned to Seoul in 1990 and began playing various gigs with singers and as an instrumentalist. He is presently finishing his sixth album featuring original music that straddles jazz and pop styles. He has also contributed his music to movie soundtracks and served as a judge on the popular music audition show Top Band.

In addition to her pop music work, Song headlined for her own jazz gigs and released seven albums for Sony Music Entertainment/Korea. Last year she won a 2012 Korean Music Award in the jazz performance category for her latest CD, Tale of a City. The disc showcases her formidable skills as a pianist and composer.