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"Parasite" composer Jung Jae-il creates his first stand-alone orchestral piece

Published: 23 Sep. 2025, 19:27

Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, left, and composer Jung Jae-il pose during a press conference in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 23. [SEOUL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA]

Composer Jung Jae-il, best known for scoring “Parasite” (2019) and “Squid Game” (2021-25), described writing his first stand-alone orchestral work as “hellish” — a creative struggle that will culminate this week when the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra premieres his new piece “Inferno.”

“It had to begin and end within the music,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday. “That’s why I went through hellish, despairing days. When I first submitted the score and recording, I felt like an elementary school student waiting to be graded.”

The orchestra will perform “Inferno” for the first time at its concerts on Thursday and Friday at Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa District, southern Seoul. While Jung has written orchestral music before, most of it was for film soundtracks. “Inferno” marks his first stand-alone orchestral work entirely developed from his own ideas, from the theme to the structure.

Jung is a genre-crossing composer and performer. At 17, he joined the band Gigs as a bassist and later composed and produced for artists such as Park Hyo-shin and IU. He wrote the music for films including “Parasite,” “Okja” (2017) and “Broker” (2022), and became the first Korean to win at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for his work on “Squid Game.”

Still, presenting an original composition on a classical stage alongside Brahms and Paganini is a first. The challenge began two years ago when Dutch conductor and violinist Jaap van Zweden, who had just been named music director of the Seoul Philharmonic, said at a press conference that the orchestra had an obligation to give talented composers opportunities — citing Jung as an example.

A month later, Jung responded at a press event for his album “Listen” (2023), saying, “It’s a lot for me, but I wish for the chance to try.”

When the two finally met in person in April 2023, Jung confessed he worried he wasn’t qualified.

“I never studied music formally. I’ve always written for content, so I thought I might not be able to write a single piece for orchestra,” he said at the time. But van Zweden encouraged him: “Do what you can do well.” That gave Jung the courage to begin.

The process, however, was grueling. Over a year of creative struggle followed. Jung debated whether to include narration from Italo Calvino's novel "Invisible Cities" (1972), which inspired him, and at times felt "as if walking through fog."

Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, delivers opening remarks at a press conference announcing the orchestra’s 2025 new commissions in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 23. Composer Jung Jae-il, right, also attended. [YONHAP]

He endured by sitting stubbornly at the piano, and occasionally sought help from orchestrators he had worked with on the film “Mickey 17.” In the end, he said, the looming deadline pushed him to finish.

“As the date approaches, a superhuman strength comes out. That’s how I managed to complete it,” he said.

Even after submitting the score, anxiety lingered for Jung.

“Unlike film scoring, where you communicate with clients immediately, here I handed over the score and got no response — I didn’t even dare to ask,” he said. “At yesterday’s [Monday's] rehearsal, it felt like 100 musicians were grading my exam paper.

“When I was in the army, I even smuggled in a miniature score of Brahms’s ‘Symphony No. 1.’ To think I’ll be sharing a stage with Brahms this time — I knew I was doomed.”

Still, Jung said he hopes to continue writing "music for music's sake" rather than for external demands.

“By coincidence, the films I worked on succeeded overseas, giving me opportunities to perform in Europe,” he said. “Standing on stage as the main act is terrifying, but I’ve rediscovered the unique charm of live music. I want to keep developing shows and works that are purely for my music.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]