The musical "Eyes of Dawn" experienced an early termination and disruption, and 39 actors and staff members, excluding Baek Sung-hyeon and Park Jung-ah, conveyed the truth in a statement.
On the 24th, OSEN obtained a statement written directly by the actors and staff of the musical "Eyes of Dawn." Baek Sung-hyeon and Park Jung-ah were excluded from that statement, and they said that trust had completely collapsed due to the production company's deceptive actions and safety indifference beyond a simple wage issue.
First, the actors and staff said that during the 2019 and 2020 initial and revival productions, an unpaid wage incident occurred at producer A's company "Suki Company," which went to trial but wages still have not been paid, and that the current production company "Next Sketch" only changed its name while producer A, who was at the center of the past unpaid wage incident, is participating as a key planner and the vice president also came from Suki Company. Accordingly, the actors and staff were promised a "payment before performances" arrangement, and they participated in the production after a special clause was added stating that if payment was delayed even one day, they could suspend performances without bearing responsibility.
The actors and staff said that regarding the "March 8 performance suspension incident," the production company did not pay the promised unpaid appearance fees by March 6, and the actors gave advance notice of a possible performance suspension to give the company a chance, but the production company did not keep its promise and even ignored the cancellation notice on the day. Regarding boycott rumors, they emphasized that "the essence is the production company's continued wage arrears and irresponsible handling." They also explained that regarding the March 22 performance suspension, the actors accepted the 10-day grace period the production company requested to raise funds, but the production company eventually notified them of a failure to secure funds and the performances were fully suspended.
The actors and staff said, "Although we loved the work, we especially wanted to give actors who newly joined this production and have not yet stood on stage at least one opportunity to perform. The reported 50 million won is not true; combining the unpaid portion from the first run and the extended performances amounts to about 220 million won."
The actors and staff said regarding the five postponements of opening, "The opening date was changed a total of five times due to the production company's fault, resulting in unreasonably changed schedules," and criticized safety indifference, saying, "There were two fires from the stage floor LED during performances, and the production company applied a patchwork remedy by partially replacing it for cost reasons. They also failed to take fundamental measures against the habitual leakage problem that even let rain into the audience seating."
The actors and staff said, "Because of the irresponsible production company, we were forced to stop our steps here, but we will never forget the affectionate looks and warm applause of the audience who came to see 'Eyes of Dawn.'" They added, "We deeply apologize again for failing to keep our promise until the end. We are also deeply grateful for the support you have given us."
Earlier, OSEN's exclusive report announced the early termination of the musical "Eyes of Dawn." Although "Eyes of Dawn," which had been extended until Apr. 26, reportedly ended after the performance on the 19th amid disruptions caused by some actors' boycott, the production company Next Sketch said, "The production company tried its best to continue the performances until the end, but because a more difficult situation than expected persisted, it was unavoidable to end early for managerial reasons, making the performance on the 19th the last."
Meanwhile, the musical "Eyes of Dawn" is a work that depicts love, choices and the pain of the era against the backdrop of Korea's turbulent modern and contemporary history from the Japanese colonial period to the era of division. At its 2019 premiere, it was recognized for its quality as a nominee for best production at the Korean Musical Awards.
Below is the full statement from the actors and staff of "Eyes of Dawn."
First, we sincerely apologize to all the audience members who cherished and awaited the musical Eyes of Dawn.
Regarding the musical Eyes of Dawn, some articles contained parts that are clearly different from the facts, so we announce the official position of the actors and staff to correct them.
Contract form for this production
1. During the initial and revival runs of the musical Eyes of Dawn (2019, 2020), producer A's company "Suki Company" already caused an unpaid wage incident involving actors and staff, which went to trial, but the actors and staff did not receive the unpaid wages.
2. The production company for this production, "Next Sketch" (hereafter the production company), has a different name but producer A is still participating as a key planner, and PD B, the vice president and producer, was the finance director of Suki Company.
3. The actors and staff who participated in this production loved the work but were worried that another unpaid wage incident might occur. In particular, actors who participated in both the initial and revival productions and joined this production inevitably had greater concerns.
4. To prevent a recurrence of unpaid wages, the production company promised a payment-before-performance arrangement. They also proposed a contract including a special clause that allowed actors and staff to suspend performances if payment was delayed by even one day without bearing any responsibility, and based on that promise the actors and staff participated in this production.
The truth about the performance suspensions
1. The full story of the March 8 performance cancellation incident
- The actors repeatedly communicated from five days before the incident that "if wages are not paid by March 6, we will inevitably have to stop participating in performances from March 7 onward."
- The production company drafted an agreement on Feb. 22 promising to pay the unpaid appearance fees of the actors who participated in the first run by March 6. Accordingly, the wages that should have been paid on March 6 included both "the second appearance fees for all actors participating in the extended performances" and "the unpaid 20% of first-run actors' wages." However, this promise was never fulfilled.
- The production company, having failed to meet the March 6 promise, again proposed to pay "at least 50% of the first-run unpaid amount by March 7." Although this proposal omitted the advance payment portion of the second appearance fees for actors participating in the extended run, all actors magnanimously gave them another chance. However, the production company failed to resolve the unpaid amounts on the 7th, and despite knowing it could not resolve them, it did not provide any prior notice to the audience.
- On the day of the March 8 performance, actors and staff gathered at the theater and requested the company to notify the audience of the performance cancellation immediately, but the production company ignored this.
- Correction of false reports: The claim being reported in some media that "the performance was canceled because some actors boycotted" is completely untrue. We reiterate that the cause of this incident was not the unilateral actions of some actors but the production company's continuous failure to fulfill wage payment promises and its irresponsible handling toward the audience, which led to the performance suspension.
2. The full story of the March 22 performance cancellation incident
- Production company's grace request and conditional agreement: Immediately after the March 8 performance cancellation, B, the production company's vice president and the producer of this production, requested a 10-day grace period to raise funds for the unpaid amounts and the remaining production budget. Despite the difficult reality, the actors and staff accepted this to resolve the situation. However, they created a written agreement stating that if the problem was not resolved by the deadline of March 19, the performances would be fully suspended and the unpaid amounts would be repaid later. (Written on March 13)
3. Broken promises and notification of performance suspension
On the promised date of March 19, B admitted he had failed to secure funds and gave final notice of the performance suspension. Accordingly, the actors and staff understood that performances would be suspended from March 20.
- Acceptance of the production company's request to delay notice: On the morning of March 20, just before announcing the official statement on the performance suspension, B proposed, "To allow for a slight possibility of finding a solution, let's only cancel the performances on the 20th and 21st for now." Our actors and staff agreed to this proposal in the spirit of magnanimity.
- However, by the night of the 21st the production company still could not present an acceptable alternative. Ultimately, according to prior agreement and the production company's notice, the performances were canceled, and the notice of the March 22 performance cancellation was only posted late around 10 a.m. that day. It is absolutely unacceptable that the production company, which should have minimized audience harm, delayed such notice. Upon learning that some audience members who may not have seen the notice were coming to the theater, the actors and staff hurried to the site, but several audience members had already made a wasted trip and returned.
3. The background for accepting the production company's 10-day grace request
- The actors and staff deeply love the musical Eyes of Dawn and strongly hoped the performances would proceed normally to meet the audience. Even in the face of the serious contractual breach of wage arrears, they endured internal pain and decided to give the production company another 10-day chance out of moral responsibility and affection for the work.
- Another decisive reason was the camaraderie that hoped the newly joined "new cast" colleagues in this extended run would get at least one full chance on stage. At the time of the March 10 grace decision, there were three actors who had not yet had their first performance: Kim Jin-woo (as Harim, first performance scheduled for the 13th), Baek Sung-hyeon (as Dae-chi, first performance scheduled for the 17th), and Hong Seo-jun (as Yoon Hong-chul, originally scheduled for the 21st but moved up to the 19th with the understanding of fellow actors). The earnest desire for these colleagues' efforts—who silently worked hard despite an uncertain schedule—to shine on stage at least once was another major reason to wait for the production company despite the uncertainty.
4. Correction regarding unpaid amounts
- The amount reported in some articles as 50 million won is not accurate. Twenty percent of the first-run wages were unpaid, and unpaid amounts continued during the extended performances. As of the final performance on March 19, the total unpaid amount for actors and staff combined is about 220 million won.
5. Whether the repeated delays in notices were intentional
- Looking back on all the processes mentioned above, we can see that the company consistently provided late notices. Therefore, we, the actors and staff, cannot help but suspect intentionality on the part of the production company.
- We strongly suspect that the company deliberately delayed audience notices to buy time with promises it could not keep and to use the "audience" as leverage to pressure actors and staff into continuing the performances.
The fundamental cause of the performance suspension (broken trust)
1. Five postponements of the opening
- Initially, the actors and staff accepted lower-than-usual wages out of love for the work and participated in the production. This was based on the production company's proposal of a "shorter-than-usual six-week rehearsal period," which the parties accepted as a contract condition. Despite the lack of physical time, the actors and staff tried their best to improve the work's completeness.
Unreasonable five postponements of the opening: However, the originally promised schedule was cruelly broken due to the production company's fault. After the initially contracted rehearsal schedule (Sept. 12–Oct. 29, '25), the opening originally scheduled for Oct. 30 (Suwon Gyeonggi Arts Center) was postponed a total of five times for reasons such as venue construction issues as follows.
1st change: Nov. 7 (postponed and moved to a Seoul performance)
2nd change: Nov. 14
3rd change: Nov. 28
4th change: Dec. 2
5th change: Dec. 4
2. Serious safety indifference that threatened the safety of the audience, actors and staff (fire and leakage)
- Beyond mere contractual breaches, the decisive reason the parties completely lost trust in the production company was the fatal safety accidents that occurred in the venue and the production company's complacent response to them.
- Two stage ignition incidents and patchwork remedies: During the first run period (Dec. 4, 2025–Jan. 31, 2026), there were two fires from the stage floor LED, causing unprecedented interruptions to performances. Thanks to the prompt response of the stage manager and staff, there were no casualties or large-scale fires, but those were hair-raising moments that could have led to a major disaster. Immediately after the incidents, actors and staff strongly demanded a full replacement and repair of the floor LED for safety. However, the production company, citing expense issues, only applied a patchwork fix by replacing the problematic parts, and the parties had to precariously guard the stage in extreme anxiety over when another fire might occur.
- Neglect of habitual venue leakage: During the same first-run period, habitual leaks occurred inside the venue when it rained or snowed. The leakage even expanded to the seating area, causing same-day cancellations. The production company, which should guarantee a safe and comfortable viewing environment for the audience, did not prepare fundamental measures for these facility defects and rain-related leakage problems. Leaks still occur in the venue on rainy days.
3. The complete collapse of trust
- In this way, amid unreasonable schedule changes and serious safety indifference, the production company consistently handled matters irresponsibly without transparent sharing of the situation or taking responsibility. This performance suspension was not triggered merely by recent days of wage arrears. The core reason is that over the past several months, repeated deceptive acts and incompetence by the production company have completely destroyed the minimal trust required to lead the performance together.
In closing
We, the actors and staff, endured with the single determination to protect the "stage" and the "audience" despite the threats of fire and leakage and repeated wage arrears. We constantly gave the production company opportunities and tried to find compromises to finish this production somehow. However, for some reason, information was released as a press release and reported based on incorrect information. Unless someone used this to gain an advantage, this could not have happened. All responsibility for this incident lies with the production company that betrayed the trust of the actors and staff and neglected the audience's safety and rights. The production company must take a thorough and responsible stance regarding the material and psychological damage suffered by the audience, and must fulfill its legal and moral responsibility to pay the unpaid wages to the parties. Because of the irresponsible production company, our steps were inevitably forced to stop here, but we will never forget the affectionate looks and warm applause of the audience who came to see Eyes of Dawn
We deeply apologize again for failing to keep our promises to the end. We are deeply grateful for the support you have given us.
Sincerely, the actors and staff calling for resolution of the Eyes of Dawn musical incident
Actors
Jo Nam-hee, Yoo Bo-young, Kim Jun-hyun, Chae Hoon-byung, Song Yong-jin, Jung Myung-eun, Noh Woo-jin, Jung Si-wook, Park Jin-woo, Kim Jin-woo, Jo Tae-il,
Kim Jun-yong, Ko Cheol Soon, Kim Su-jeong, Lee Hyo-jung, Wang Ha-seong, Lim Jae-hyun, Kim Ji-won, Lee Kang, Kim Hyun-joong, Yang Hee-woong, Hong Hye-won, Han
Uri, Oh Hyung-gyu, Kim Seul-ki, Jo Min-geon, Park Si-yu, Kang Da-hee, Lee Yoon-jung, Choi Jin-su, Kim Jin-guk, Kim Young-seong, Kim Jun-Ho, Kim
Ji-o, Park Jin-seok, Choi Eun-su, Im Woo-bin, Lee Ye-ram, Han Chae-won, Park Da-hye (40 in total)
Staff
Noh Woo-sung, J.ACO (Seo Dae-yeon), Kim Jeong-ryeol, Kim Dae-ui, Park Jaemin, Im Tae-hyung, Park Hyun, Ma Sun-young, Kim Sun-bin, Jo Seong-hwan, Lee
Min-ho, Oh Jin-hyung, Kim Jin-young, Ahn Ji-yoon, Jo Eun-a, Kim Su-gyeong, Park Ji-yeon, Jang Ye-rin, Kim Yoon-hyung, Chu Jeong-a, Kim Ryeo-jin, Choi
Jeong-won, Eom Hee-yeon (23 in total)
[OSEN]