[The Fountain] The Les Misérables soundtrack
SHIM SAE-ROMThe author is a communications team reporter of the JoongAng Holdings.
“Hey, I like this song. Listen!” When President Yoon Suk Yeol was head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, he played a video of a movie soundtrack at a dinner with his juniors. “Do you hear the people sing? / Singing the song of angry men? / It is the music of the people. / Who will not be slaves again!”
The song “Do You Hear People Sing?” is from the musical Les Misérables. As the boss shared his taste of music, some junior prosecutors nodded, saying they had watched the movie. Others may have searched for the “Les Misérables” soundtrack at home.
This revolutionary song, hinting at a struggle with bloodshed, was frequently played at protests around the world for nearly 10 years. Listeners are overwhelmed by the resistance to unjust rule and the fury of the persecuted people.
Shortly after the movie’s global box office success in 2012, the song was translated to many languages and sung in democratization movements in Turkey, Myanmar, Taiwan in 2013 and in Hong Kong in 2014. The song was also used in massive rallies in Hangzhou, China, to demand the Communist Party of China be brought down.
In Korea, the song was repeatedly played in Seoul and Daegu during the call for the resignation of former President Park Geun-hye in 2016. At that time, Yoon worked as head of a special investigation team looking into the corruption of the president and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. It is unknown when and why Yoon came to like this song. But given his repeated underscoring of “freedom” — one of the major spirits of the French Revolution — he must have listened to the song from his days as a prosecutor.
As a presidential candidate, Yoon played the song when he appeared in the studio for a televised debate. In an interview, he said, “I watched the movie and musical several times. I like the theme of calling for freedom and democracy in 1832 and the soundtrack itself.”
The selection of the song for the president’s entry at the People Power Party (PPP) convention on March 8 seems to reflect his love of the song. Ousted PPP leader Lee Jun-seok, a political maverick in his 30s, said, “The person who chose that song for the president’s entrance to the national convention should be referred to the ethics committee.” But the event organizers say that it was personally chosen by the president and was a natural choice.
The party convention attracted more attention than ever, ending with Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, a former floor leader fully supported by the pro-Yoon faction, winning a majority with no need for a runoff.
With only 13 months left before the parliamentary elections in April next year, President Yoon and the new party head must first recover the tough livelihood of the people instead of “subverting the regime.” The lyrics of the song continue: “When the beating of your heart / Echoes the beating of the drums / There is a life about to start / When tomorrow comes!”
I hope the president first listens to the growing demands of the people for their better lives, which is a driving force of history.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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