Award-Winning Play Reworks a Sumerian Myth Through Three Generations of Women

The National Theater Company of Korea will stage Yeokhaenggi at Myeongdong Theater in Seoul from September 3 to 13. The play is written by Kim Joo-hee and directed by Shin Jae-hoon.

Yeokhaenggi won the grand prize in the company’s 2024 playwriting competition, which was resumed after a 15-year hiatus. It was selected from 303 submissions.

The work was introduced through a staged reading in September 2025 following a research and development process. The September production will be its first full staging after approximately two years of development.

The play draws on the ancient Sumerian myth “Inanna’s Descent into the Underworld.” The original story follows Inanna, the goddess of love and fertility, as she enters the realm ruled by her sister Ereshkigal.

Inanna is stripped of one possession at each of seven gates. She is eventually killed but returns to the world above with help from the gods.

In the play, Inanna loses her reason to live and enters an underground world beneath her collapsing home. The space contains a large house inhabited by lost and forgotten beings, as well as Kigal, a pool where memories disappear.

There, Inanna encounters members of her family in altered forms. Her grandmother Jumoni has roots growing from her body, while her sister Pink stands on four legs carrying a hammer. Another figure, Doldeongi, is gradually merging with a stone.

The family’s forgotten history begins to emerge when Inanna’s mother, Eresh, awakens in the depths of the underground world. The play places the experiences of three generations of women affected by patriarchal violence and labor-related trauma within a mythological structure.

Kim Si-young plays Eresh, while Park Soo-jin takes the role of Inanna. The cast also includes Park Ok-chul, Park Eun-ho, Ahn Yeon-je and Yoon Jin-sung. Park Dong-woo designed the set, Kim Hyo-min oversees lighting, and Lee Seung-ho is responsible for music and sound.

A post-show conversation with the playwright, director and cast will be held on September 6. Accessible performances offering Korean captions, audio description and mobility assistance are scheduled for September 11 and 12.

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