As Fate Would Have It

Ock Joo Hyun caught the eye of a talent-seeker at a singing contest and joined a Korean idol group. Later, she debuted in the girl group Fin.K.L., receiving widespread acclaim. Musical theater, however, was a long-held love of hers. ¡°From the beginning, I was really interested in singing about various emotions while acting out life¡¯s experiences. I was really shocked when I saw the musical Aida in New York at one point. It was such a great show I thought that If I ever get the chance to do a musical, I would definitely try,¡± she recalled.

As if her prayers had been answered, Ock was soon offered the chance to audition for Aida, and got a role in the musical. ¡°After I heard I got the part, I began thinking really seriously. I was already working as a radio DJ at the time, and many people voiced concern,¡± she said. ¡°I also didn¡¯t feel certain that doing musical theater was the path I should take. That being said, I remembered the powerful feelings I got when I first saw Aida. After remembering that, my concerns fell away, and I became more certain that doing something that gave me such powerful emotions was a good thing.¡±

Ock plays the title character in the music production ¡°Mata Hari.¡± © EMK Musical Company

Ock as Mercédès in ¡°The Count of Monte Cristo.¡± © EMK Musical Company

Balancing Work and Rest

Creating the best performances for her audiences is Ock¡¯s daily focus. ¡°Everyone takes a big chance to come and see the musicals I¡¯m in, and I want to give them a good time. Unlike artwork, music doesn¡¯t leave anything tangible behind. The performance on stage is all there is. I do everything I can every day to make sure I create the best performances possible,¡± she said.

Ock regularly practices ballet to train her body, studies phonetics to improve her singing voice, and even spends time touching up on her acting skills. ¡°I really like reading the original works [of the musicals]. As you know, scripts are condensed versions of the original works. After reading an original work several times, I feel like I¡¯ve opened the doors to secret rooms. I¡¯m able to draw a [broad] picture of the musical in my mind―just like I¡¯ve become the director. This allows me to figure out areas I don¡¯t understand when I just have the script to look at,¡± Ock said. She has become so skilled at this that, as the years have passed, audiences continue to give her positive reviews.

Recently, Ock went to the hospital because she felt her body was out of order. The doctor told her the main factor was stress. ¡°I¡¯ve long gotten through difficult periods by consoling myself, but I found out that I had suppressed a lot of things while telling myself that everything would be ¡®OK.¡¯ Luckily, with work out of the way because my performances have all ended, I¡¯m now taking time to release all that stress that has built up over time.¡±

Ock¡¯s star power is such that she sold out productions of ¡°The Count of Monte Cristo.¡± © EMK Musical Company

No Time is Wasted

While Ock did successfully switch careers―from being the member of a nationally popular idol group to a musical theater powerhouse―she faced considerable failures and difficult times along the way. ¡°I¡¯ve also failed in business. It was an expensive life lesson, but the experience was really helpful given that I express a variety of human emotions on the stage. Good experiences give you delight and happiness, and difficult periods and crises provide you with lessons for the future. There¡¯s no such thing as wasted time,¡± she said.

During her time as a musical theater actress, Ock has left a considerable mark on the industry. ¡°There were many people who worried about me when I first started doing musical theater, along with a lot of criticism. This made me feel a good deal of pressure, and a great sense of responsibility,¡± she said. ¡°In fact, I think all of that drove me to do my best. I think perceptions about idol group members becoming musical theater actors and actresses have changed a lot now. There¡¯s broad acceptance that capable idol group members can become musical theater actors and actresses. Idol group members, for their part, now feel confident they can become part of the musical theater world. I¡¯m grateful for what I believe is my small contribution to bringing this about.¡±

© EMK Musical Company

Ock does her own makeup to bring out the characters she plays even more. © EMK Musical Company

What the Future Will Bring

Ock, who is now in her 16th year as a musical theater actress, has built such a career she can feel confident about being called a seasoned veteran of the industry. What can we expect from Ock in the future? ¡°COVID-19 makes things hard now, but when the situation gets better, I¡¯d like to work with musicians at my company to show foreign audiences how skilled Korean musicians are. We¡¯d start these efforts in places close to Korea, like Japan, China, or Taiwan.¡±

Lastly, Ock was asked what her goals are―not as an actress, but as a human being. ¡°People put plans together, but these plans don¡¯t always work out as expected. I don¡¯t know what opportunities or difficulties are in store for me in the future, but my daily goal is to stay healthy so that I can resolutely face whatever situation comes around,¡± she said.