USC hosts Korean Culture Night in Bovard


By
 in

Korean Culture Night was held at Bovard Auditorium on Wednesday night and consisted of a play “Save Our Souls,” as well as several performances by various Korean students and Korean student groups at USC.

Take action · Kevin Lee (left), a senior majoring in business administration, and Wayne Park (right), a senior majoring in accounting and political science, performed in a play at the event. - Austin Vogel | Daily Trojan

Take action · Kevin Lee (left), a senior majoring in business administration, and Wayne Park (right), a senior majoring in accounting and political science, performed in a play at the event. – Austin Vogel | Daily Trojan

“S.O.S was a really engaging tale that opened my eyes to the horrors that happen behind the scenes in sex trafficking,” said Jonathan Seo, a freshman majoring in accounting.

Over 30 USC staff members and actors were involved in the production of the show. This year’s Korean Culture Night was not only used to promote Korean culture, but also to raise awareness about the issue of sex trafficking.

“For the past three years, Korean Culture Night at USC has always been centered around the theme of hope — hope for the boy from a family of illegal immigrants in 2012, hope for the Korean adoptee finding her identity in America in 2013 and, this year, hope for both the victim and the victimizer in sex trafficking,” said Rachelle Song, executive producer of Korean Culture Night.

The event not only drew USC students, but also attracted the parents of students involved in the show, as well as Korean students from other nearby universities such as UCLA. The show featured Wayne Park as Bryant Choi, Sophiea Kim as Robin Huhr, Kevin Lee as Luke, Joshua Moon as Han and Alice Han as Grace.

“USC Korean Culture Night was not only a great performance with wonderful talent, but it also emphasized the importance of being aware of our surroundings and being actively a part of ending human sex trafficking in our society,” said April Kang, a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering.

With excellent performances from all actors and actresses and several particularly moving scenes, the play proved to be an eye-opening experience for many members of the audience.

“I personally felt like the performance was great, with lots of eye-opening and thought-provoking parts, but it did drag on for a little,” said Samuel Joo, a freshman majoring in computer science.

Korean Culture Night was divided into two acts with a total of 15 scenes. It also featured Off the Grid, one of USC’s dance groups, and Haneulsori, a traditional Korean drum and instrument group at USC.

“Some may say that one night of highlighting this issue won’t do much, but we disagree,” said Rachael Lee, the executive director of Korean Culture Night 2014. “One night can open the eyes of many people who may not have known how prevalent sex trafficking is in our communities. One night has the potential to inspire a person to rise up as a leader of a movement. So our aim for Korean Culture Night is not a simple night of entertainment. We want to use Korean Culture Night to say something, to open eyes.”