Review‘Sugung’ gives voice to women fighting to keep pansori alive

For most Koreans, pansori (traditional Korean narrative singing) is just a cultural asset to be preserved. But for master pansori singer Jung Ei-jin, it is a disappearing art that she is determined to keep alive.

In the documentary "Sugung — The Underwater Palace" released on New Year's Day, director Yoo Su-yeon explores the pansori piece "Sugungga" as performed in the "dongpyeonje" or eastern style, one of the two main styles along with "seopyeonjae" or western style, through the voice of Jung.

The film is not just a simple record of old music. It is a gritty and honest look at how women artists struggle to survive while also fighting to keep a disappearing tradition alive. The documentary first gained attention through screenings at the Jeonju International Film Festival and Seoul International Women’s Film Festival in 2023.

Jung was born into a family of famous pansori masters, but despite her background and talent, she had to stop singing for 30 years to take care of her home and family.

While she finally started singing again and built a successful career, she still felt hurt by the past and growing up in a time when she felt many people did not respect women performers. Yoo said that Jung even kept her singing a secret from her neighbors and children.

The documentary reaches its emotional zenith as it follows Jung moving between the practice room and a hospital. As she prepares for a long, exhausting performance, she shares her worries for her art. "This music might die when I am gone."

Yoo expands the narrative beyond Jung’s personal tragedy to introduce a younger generation of women who sing pansori, yet are still fighting the same problems today. To pay their bills, they run karaoke businesses, teach at schools or perform on the streets.

Through these women, the director sends a clear message: If the genre is dying, it is not because the performers lack talent or don't put enough effort. Instead, the real problem is a system that fails to support artists, who must balance their art with the struggles and demands of daily life.

Yoo has spent her career telling stories about women and art. Another documentary, “Women's Gukgeuk: Enduring on the Edge of Time,” looks at the fading art of "gukgeuk," a unique Korean form of all-women musical theater.

"Sugung" does not end with a big show. Instead, it ends with a quiet question, asking us to think about the time and labor these women give to keep Korea’s traditional sounds alive.