Somaek flows as Haribo Kimchi turns Avignon into a pojangmacha

K-Pojangmacha and Somaek Served on the Avignon Stage

The gymnasium of Mistral High School in Avignon, southern France. Even amidst a heatwave with a perceived temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, more than 300 audience members remained focused on the stage. A Korean *pojangmacha* (street stall) was set up on stage. Gu Ja-ha (43), the writer, director, and lead actor, ran down into the audience holding about 20 glasses of 'somaek'—a mixture of *soju* and beer in a 1:1 ratio.

This year's major Avignon Festival production, 'Haribo *Kimchi*', weaves the lives of outsiders active in Europe into the setting of a *pojangmacha*. The aroma of *kimchi-jeon* (kimchi pancakes) freshly cooked on stage wafted into the seating area, and the audience experienced Korean culture by tasting the pancakes and seaweed cold soup while drinking somaek. In this production, Gu transformed into a *pojangmacha* owner, cooking the pancakes and seaweed soup himself while sharing an autobiographical story.

First Korean Invitation in 28 Years: "We won't wait another 28 years"

The 80th Avignon Festival has selected Korean as an 'invited language' for the first time since its founding. Of the 47 official invited works this year, 9 are Korean productions. Hangul signage has been hung at the Cloitre Saint-Louis, where the festival headquarters is located, and Korean voice announcements are played before performances begin.

Tiago Rodrigues, the Artistic Director of the Avignon Festival, stated that the invitation began after he explored the contemporary Korean performing arts scene through exchanges with the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) in the fall of 2022. "We realized that the Avignon Festival had not invited Korean artists for 28 years," Rodrigues said. "We will not wait another 28 years. I hope to meet Korean artists at shorter intervals." He diagnosed that while K-pop, K-drama, film, and Korean literature—elevated by Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature—are well-known, Korean contemporary performing arts remain a field not yet sufficiently known to European audiences.

Staged Readings and Pansori Performed in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes

In the Cour d'Honneur, the symbolic space of the festival, the staged reading 'Sae' will take the stage. Based on Han Kang's novel 'I Do Not Bid Farewell', this work features French actress Isabelle Huppert, Korean actress Lee Hye-young, and the original author Han Kang herself, who will participate by reading portions of the novel.

Lee Ja-ram's creative *pansori* piece, 'Nun, Nun, Nun', will also be introduced. This work, a reinterpretation of Tolstoy's short story 'Master and Man', conveys the unique rhythmic flavors of the Korean language. Works dealing with the Jeju April 3 incident are also included in this year's festival. Rodrigues announced that he intends to continue cooperation with the Avignon Festival, SPAF, and Korean institutions beyond this year. At this year's Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF), the staged reading 'Sae', based on Han Kang's novel 'I Do Not Bid Farewell', is scheduled to be presented.