Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born - Manhwa

The comprehensive art form combining sound, dance, and acting—'Women's Gukgeuk.' A unique operatic stage where women play all roles, which gained sensational popularity in the 1950s, bringing fame, fortune, and popularity to female artists. Jungnyeon, a girl from Mokpo born with a natural talent for singing, dreams of becoming rich by joining a gukgeuk troupe. Will Jungnyeon become a star and a new version of 'herself'?

The top popular art of the 1950s, Women's Gukgeuk. A story about women who could become anything within it!

In 1948, the 'Women's Gugak Association,' formed by female gugak (traditional Korean music) artists, created Women's Gukgeuk, a comprehensive art form that combined singing, dancing, and acting. It was different from theater, which relies on acting alone, and from pansori, where one person takes on all roles. In this unique genre, where women played all roles—including characters like Chunhyang, Hyangdan, Bangja, and Lee Mongryong—it earned fervent support and love from female audiences. Male-role actors even received fan requests to take wedding photos in men's attire, along with blood-written fan letters, illustrating how wildly popular it was in the 1950s.

This gukgeuk fever holds significance as a form of popular art enjoyed primarily by women. The gukgeuk actors on stage took on roles traditionally played by men, allowing them to transcend gender and become whoever they wanted to be. Whether it was the sly Bangja, the passionate Lee Mongryong, or the valiant Prince Hodong, audiences felt a sense of liberation and excitement through their subversive performances. These female artists sought to become a new 'self,' beyond just waiting for love or salvation, expressing themselves in their own way. 'Jungnyeon' portrays the intense and dazzling story of these women’s art and growth, set in Seoul during the golden age of Women's Gukgeuk in the 1950s.

• TITLE : Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born | 정년이
• AUTHOR : 서이레
• PUBLISHER : 문학동네
• LANGUAGE : Korean
• COUNTRY OF ORIGIN : South Korea

• Vol.1
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2020-04-27
- ISBN13 : 9788954671422
- ISBN10 : 895467142X
- PAGE : 280p
• Vol.2
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2020-08-31
- ISBN13 : 9788954674058
- ISBN10 : 8954674054
- PAGE : 280p
• Vol.3
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2021-06-07
- ISBN13 : 9788954679633
- ISBN10 : 8954679633
- PAGE : 292p
• Vol.4
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2021-10-11
- ISBN13 : 9788954682466
- ISBN10 : 8954682464
- PAGE : 296p
• Vol.5
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2022-10-24
- ISBN13 : 9788954692922
- ISBN10 : 8954692923
- PAGE : 272p
• Vol.6
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2023-03-17
- ISBN13 : 9788954691666
- ISBN10 : 8954691666
- PAGE : 264p
• Vol.7
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2023-11-30
- ISBN13 : 9788954696968
- ISBN10 : 8954696961
- PAGE : 284p
• Vol.8
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2024-05-27
- ISBN13 : 9791141600662
- ISBN10 : 1141600668
- PAGE : 276p
• Vol.9
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2024-09-30
- ISBN13 : 9791141607463
- ISBN10 : 1141607468
- PAGE : 264p
• Vol.10
- PUBLICATION DATE : 2024-09-30
- ISBN13 : 9791141607470
- ISBN10 : 1141607476
- PAGE : 276p