Lee Youn-taek () is a poet, dramatist, and producer."Lee Yountaek" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do#

Life

Lee Youn-taek was born July 9, 1952, in South Korea. A poet, dramatist and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, Lee debuted in 1979 with ''Jack-O-Lantern'' (Dokkaebi bul) which appeared in the magazine ''Contemporary Poetry''. As the 1970s ended Lee worked as a reporter for Busan Daily while also focusing on writing and staging plays. In 1986, Lee formed his own

theatrical company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

called ''Yeonhuidan georipae'' in

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

and since that time has traveled around the country staging plays.

Work

According to the

Korea Literature Translation Institute The Literature Translation Institute of Korea ( ko, 한국문학번역원, LTI Korea, formerly known as Korean Literature Translation Fund) was founded in 1996 by the Government of South Korea with the aim of promoting Korean literature and cultu ...

Lee has proved his talents many times over through his production of movie scenarios, TV drama scripts, dance and musical stagings, and theatrical programs for international events. He is not only able to span a broad range of artistic forms, but also brings something new and experimental to each project he undertakes. He injects Korean sentiment and unique humor into his art forms, and is thus widely known as a "cultural guerilla". While Lee's themes generally contain something of the dark and serious, his stages teem with a vibrant energy. His plays contemplate and investigate human "lives" inching their way to their mortality. Even after a hearty laugh, the audience is always left with much to reflect on.

Lee has been active as a director at the National Theatre, where he directed a musical version of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's The Tempest in 1999. His production of a musical entitled ''Dreaming at Hwaseong'' (Hwaseong-eseo ggum ggunda) performed at world cultural heritage sites, is but one of his many continuing theatrical experimentations. His movies have included: * 2003 Ogu (writer and director) * 1997 Model (TV Series) * 1991 Seoul Evita * 1990 Danji geudaega yeojalaneun iyumaneulo

Controversy

On February 13, 2018, several women, including former actress Kim Soo-hee and actress Hong Seon-joo, accused Lee Youn-taek of sexual harassment. Lee allegedly forced many women in his theater troupe, for 18 years, to massage his genital area prior to raping them. In addition, Kim Soo-hee stated that in 2005, Lee raped her and got her pregnant, for which she had an abortion. Moreover, actress Hong Seon-joo alleged that Lee forcibly penetrated her private part with sticks and wooden chopsticks, saying it will help her vocalization. As a result, Lee resigned from all his positions in the theater world and formally apologized to the victims.

Works in Translation

Four contemporary Korean plays (이윤택 희곡선)

Works in Korean (Partial)

* -Ogu-Method of Death (Ogu-jugeumui hyeongsik) (1989) * Gaettong Beyond the Mountains (San neomeo gaettonga) * Hamlet (Haemlit)(1996) - See also ''Shamanism in Korean "Hamlets" since 1990: Exorcising Han''. * Beauty (Gain) * Dumb Bride (Babo gaksi), Dosolga * Every Living Day is a Festival (Sarainneun donganeun nalmada chukje) * Citizen K (Simin K) * Yeonsan, A Problematic Human Being (Munjejeok ingan Yeonsan) (1995) * Faust in Jeans (Cheongbajireul ibeun pauseuteu).

Awards

* Dong-a Drama Award * Daesan Literary Award (1995) * Paeksang Arts Grand Prize * Seoul Play Festival Grand Prize

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Youn-taek 1952 births Korean writers 20th-century Korean poets Living people Korean male poets 20th-century male writers South Korean rapists