Busan, South Korea - K-pop artists in South Korea are so globally that it’s easy to forget that their classical music predecessors were in the concert halls of the world before they were born.

And they are still here. One of the latest milestones in Korean classical music known as "K-Classics" is historic The Theatre Theatre Alla Scala selected the famous Korean conductor and pianist Myung-Whun Chung as the music director.

Milan's La Scala announced In May, Zhong will take on the position when the contract of current director Riccardo Chailly ends in late 2026. Chung is the first Asian and second non-Italian to hold the position, as La Scala said in a statement, “one of the most popular artists in the Milan public”.

Since 1989, Chung has conducted 84 opera works and 141 concerts for La Scala, more than anyone other than its official music director, including musical glowers such as Arturo Toscanini and Claudio Abbado.

"It feels like getting married after 36 years of love," Chung said at a press conference at the Busan Concert Hall, South Korea's second largest city.

Chung was born in a highly musical family and is in the second grade of seven children. He made his public debut as a pianist at the age of 7.

As a teenager, he began performing in the trio with his sisters, violinist Kyung-Wha and cellist Myung-Wha Chung.

He won the second prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974, taking his career to a new level.

Chung moved to Italy in 1982, where he was immersed in culture. This included food, so much so that he grew his own tomatoes and olives.

Chung hosts many of the world's top orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic. He has served as several other music directors, including the Opéra Bastille in Paris and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

He is known for his interpretation of Giuseppe Verdi's operas, many of which debuted in La Scala, and his ability to propose emotional intensity.

Green'sSimon Boccanegra Chung said at a press conference last month that this is a personal favorite, especially because the title character Boccanegra embodies what a great man should be: generous, warmth of experience. ”

Since Chung's rise, young Korean musicians have claimed that prizes have huge prizes in international competitions.

South Korea’s strong musical talent channel produces young performers including Yunchan Lim, who became the youngest pianist in 2022, winning the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano competition at the age of 18, Seong Jin Cho and the first winner of the Korea International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015.

Soo-jung, an emeritus professor at Seoul National University, is a pianist and a friend of Chung's family, who sees three key elements of South Korea's success.

"First: Koreans, they have real artistic temperament, improvise and express feelings and this kind of thing," she said. "There is also a second: there is always supportive parents, especially mothers."

The third ingredient, she said, is South Korea’s growing economic influence, which allows young talents to learn overseas.

After decades of performances in Europe, Chung began to consider moving it forward. He returned to South Korea in 2005 to train new talents and music exchanges.

Chung said he admired the contributions of masters such as Verdi to the humanitarian cause.

"His biggest job was to prepare a retirement home for the musicians built in Milan before his death, and he was all his royalties," he told reporters.

Chung pointed out that Koreans and Italians have a lot in common: how they express their emotions, their love for singing.

Both are the prominent Eurasian lands on the peninsula. Italy has been a divided country for centuries before 1871. South Korea was split in 1945 and still so.

Italy's unification in the 19th century had an informal national anthem, "VA, Pensiero", a beloved chorus from Verdi Nabkothis was premiered in La Scala in 1842. Chung performed the terminology work, occasionally triggering the cry of "Viva Italia!". From the audience.

Chung's humanitarian cause reunited the North and South Korea through music.

In 2012, he directed musicians from the UNASU band in North Korea and the French Philharmonic band in Paris. In 2017, he founded a Korean band. His concert raised funds for North Korean children.

But for now, tensions are getting higher and higher between the two North Koreas, and the prospect of the Clock Curry River Band remains a distant band.

NPR's Se Eun Gong contributed to the work in Seoul and Busan, South Korea.