As we all await Ji Chang Wook’s release from his army service, there may possibly be a rare opportunity to see him again in more of a public setting this upcoming September!

4 August 2018 update:

Ji Chang Wook is scheduled to participate in the press conference for the musical “Shinheung Military School” which will be held on 14 August 2018 at 2:00pm KST at Taguek Hall in Seoul.

13 July 2018 update:

The musical will be staged at Theatre Yong in the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, from September 9 to 23.

Ji Chang Wook will be playing the character Dong Gyu, a freedom fighter and outstanding student of the academy whose father is an anti-Japanese Confucian scholar.

3 July 2018 update:

WELL FINALLY!!!  Ji Chang Wook has been confirmed as one of the leads cast for the upcoming production of “Shinheung Military School.”  Wook, Kang Ha Neul, and boy band Infinite’s leader Kim Sung Gyu were all chosen for the military cast, with rehearsals set to begin sometime this week.  All news reports have mentioned that anticipation is quite high for seeing Wook and Haneul together on stage!

More information has also come out about the musical’s performance schedule:  In addition to the 19 shows currently set for the latter part of September, a nationwide tour in Korea is also tentatively scheduled for the end of 2018.

Ji Chang Wook’s military service duties will be reassigned to Seoul in order for him to attend meetings and rehearsals in advance of the musical’s opening.  Hopefully there will be a chance for us mere mortals to see Wook again on the stage once “Shinheung” premieres!

21 May 2018 update:

Ji Chang Wook returned today for the second round of auditions for “Shinheung Military School,” held this time at the National Theatre of Korea in Seoul.  Joining him again was fellow recruit Kang Ha Neul.  There will be a final round of auditions (date to be announced later), and then we will see if Wook made the cut or not.  We’re thinking that taking into account Our Soldier’s extensive acting and musical background, he pretty much is a lock for one of the leads!  *fingers crossed*

20 performances will be staged beginning September 2018 at the National Musuem of Korea.

17 April 2018 update:

Three rounds of auditions will reportedly be held, and Ji Chang Wook took part in the first round today along with his “Thrill Me” co-star Kang Ha Neul at the Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts in Anseong, South Korea.

Though their casting have not been confirmed, reports say that their casting is likely to proceed given their acting abilities and their earlier appearance at the musical’s press conference on 8 March.

Source: X Sports News

The Republic of Korea military units have a tradition of routinely staging musical performances for the benefit of senior officers, government officials, family, friends and invited guests.  News about one of their upcoming productions was unveiled by the military at a press conference held on 8 March at a military hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, which was attended by none other than Ji Chang Wook and fellow recruit Kang Ha Neul.

“Shinheung Military School” is a musical set in 1910 during the time when Korea was colonised by Japan. Based on historical events, the musical tells the tale of Lee Hoe Young, also known as “Woodang” (1867-1932), and his five brothers who sold off their fortune to fight against the Japanese imperialists for the country’s independence.

The 120-minute musical is being jointly produced by the Republic of Korea Army and musical production company Shownote (the same production group behind hit musicals “Hedwig” and “200-Pound Beauty”) in memory of the independence fighters who laid down their lives to fight for the country’s liberation about 100 years ago.  Lee Hoe Young went on to recruit youths across the country and established the Shinheung Military School, overcame the threat of the Japanese army, and became a respectable independence fighter.

The musical production commemorates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the modern-day Republic of Korea.  The musical will be staged about 20 times at the Theatre Yong in Seoul’s National Museum of Korea starting from September this year.

In order to produce a musical that both soldiers and civilians can relate to, the military began collecting subject material from soldiers since February last year, did a strict evaluation of more than 300 entries, and eventually selected “Shinheung Military School”, which unites the patriotism and military spirit of the liberation and national army, as the subject for the musical.

The army also chose to base the musical on this due to the historical importance of Shinheung Military School in the independence movement, and the fact that this aspect of history had not been properly made known all this while.

The production team will be roping in rookie actors for the cast, and will also be holding auditions to give recruits the opportunity to star in the musical.

Source:  Kookbang Ilbo