Ex-vice minister brings Shakespeare to life with AI music

Yong Ho-seong, previously South Korea's vice minister for culture, sports and tourism, is venturing into uncharted territory as he harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) to translate timeless literature into music. Under the pseudonym Dr. Dragon, Yong debuted his first full-length album titled Fragile Beauty on November 10. The album features a modern musical interpretation of 15 of William Shakespeare's sonnets, accomplished through AI-assisted composition and vocals.

This marks the initial release in Yong's ambitious DiVerse project, which aims to set all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets to contemporary melodies. The concept was inspired by a hardcover edition of Shakespeare's complete sonnets, gifted to Yong during his time as director of the Korean Cultural Centre UK. Yong explained to The Korea Times that the title DiVerse reflects both the Shakespearean verses and the newly composed lyrics, as well as the fusion of diverse musical genres used to rejuvenate these centuries-old classics.

Yong emphasized that his approach goes beyond mere translation of archaic English; rather, he adapted the themes to resonate with modern listeners, ensuring that the essence of Shakespeare's sonnets remains intact while making them accessible to contemporary audiences.