Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Presents Original Musical 'Heart, Like' Created by Teachers

A High Schooler Chasing "Likes" Asks Who He Really Is
Current Teachers Create Everything from the Script to the Musical Numbers
Spotlight on Deepfakes and Social Media Overuse
More Than 600 Students, Parents and Others Attend

Kim Sang-ho, a high school student who wants his friends' approval, uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create a virtual character and posts videos of it on social media (SNS). As the character in the videos gains popularity, its number of followers quickly grows. The flood of attention leads Sang-ho into an unexpected situation.

Creative Musical "Heart Like" Created by Teachers from the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to Be Staged. Photo provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, led by Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-seok, presented "Heart, Like," an original musical created by current teachers, at the auditorium of its Southern Office on November 14. About 600 people, including students, parents and school staff, attended the performances, held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Created to build students' digital citizenship, the production addressed deepfakes, fake news and the problem of "cyber wreckers" exploiting other people's suffering for views. By portraying teenagers who use even their friendships to get likes and views, it asks how seeking approval from others online affects them and the people around them.

Current teachers wrote the script and composed the songs performed onstage. The Gyeonggi Education Family Musical Troupe "Highlight," which organized the production, is a group of educators that researches models for arts-integrated education.

Since June, the troupe has provided professional development for teachers across the province in acting, singing and choreography. A student with a disability who dreams of becoming an opera singer also performed as an actor in the production.

Bae Min-gwan, a teacher at Neungwon Elementary School and the production's executive director, said, "I hope that comprehensive arts education, such as musicals, which offer opportunities for in-depth reflection and collaboration, will spread more widely across schools, beyond Gyeonggi's education system."

Lee Jong-yun, head of the RAS Education Division at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, said, "Taking the success of this production as a catalyst, we will support the broader expansion of a model for arts-integrated education across schools in Gyeonggi Province, where students can work hard and engage in deep reflection through RAS education."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.