Yakiniku Dragon

With 2025 marking 60 years since normalisation of diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea, we are performing Chong Wishing's Yakiniku Dragon, a joint Japanese and Korean production that examines lesser-known aspects of Japan's post-war history.

Yakiniku Dragon was written and produced by Chong Wishing for the New National Theatre Tokyo in 2008 as a collaborative project with Seoul Arts Center in Korea. Following 2002 and 2005 performances of Across the River in May (written by Hirata Oriza and Kim Myung-Hwa, directed by Lee Byung-Hoon and Hirata Oriza), this is our second collaboration with Seoul Arts Center.

This work depicts a Korean family living in a small town in Japan's Kansai region around the time of the 1970 World Expo as well as their lively and popular yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurant. After the premier, word-of-mouth quickly spread glowing praise. Performances in Tokyo and Seoul prompted enthusiastic standing ovations each time, and the work won numerous theatre awards in both Japan and Korea. And in 2018, Chong Wishing even took up the director's megaphone for the film adaptation of Yakiniku Dragon. Following 2008, 2011, 2016 and 2025 will be our fourth performance of this comical, sad and poignant story depicting the past, present and future of the Japan-Korea relationship through drama and music.

The theme of the 1970 Expo in Osaka was 'Progress and Harmony for Mankind'.----But have these hopes from the past for the future truly been realised today, 55 years later? Oddly enough, 2025 is also the year of the Osaka, Kansai World Expo. We hope that you can face the past and consider the future with Chong Wishing's Yakiniku Dragon, a play that brings history to life.

This production is scheduled for a performance in Korea at the Seoul Arts Center in November 2025.