A review of Wrapping the Bandage (2020) by Yoon Yi-hyung.

“Korean theater people are surprised by the restrained format, the level of quality achieved through calculation of the tiniest details, and the thoroughness of Japanese plays; Japanese theater people are attracted to the sincerity of the themes, the primal rituality, the dynamic playfulness, and the rough yet deep scent of life in Korean plays.”

Q: How do you combine your own ideas with the audience’s preferences? A: “I don’t really feel the difference. Shakespeare’s plays are Bible for the theater, but they were popular during his time too. He edited and revised his plays based on the reactions of his audiences. So it’s not right to keep his plays exactly the same when we put them on now. Because it’s the audience of today that’s watching. Making the plays superficially interesting is accommodating the audience’s tastes, but taking into consideration what the audience enjoys today is respect.”

To label BTS the reigning kings of K-pop would be no hyperbole. In the past five years, few bands anywhere have accomplished more. Similarly few producers have earned the influence and industry-wide respect of its founder Bang Si-hyuk.