Saved is a two-part drama about the South Korean adoption industry, from its Cold War origins to its transformation into a lucrative business empire built by systemic fraud and negligence. Three epic stories spanning six decades across Oregon, Washington DC, Vermont, Seoul, and Jeju Island, Saved explores what happens when we kill the parents and raise the children.
“With nuance and emotional depth, the play explored adoption not just as a legal act or rescue, but as a personal journey shaped by love, loss, identity and history – a reminder that origin and belonging are deeply human questions, often shaped by larger geopolitical forces.”
Reading at the Public Theater
The Public Theater presented a reading of SAVED, PART ONE: THE GIRL AND THE SKY on 21 April 2025 at 1PM and 6PM. The reading was directed by Taylor Reynolds, with dramaturgy by Harris Kiernan. The reading featured Kelley Curran, Michael Gaston, Heesun Hwang, Daniel K. Isaac, Zoë Kim, Jully Lee, Liz Leimkuhler, Kelly McAndrew, Joe Tapper, Shannon Tyo, Jeena Yi, and Estelle Lee.
Conversation with Tony Kushner
Conducted as a culmination of the Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group.
Saved, Part one: the girl and the sky ewg reading featured in The Korea Times
ANTONIA GIORDANO — “Though it had its premiere reading on the opposite side of the world from Korea, on a stage in New York City, Jesse Jae Hoon’s Saved spoke directly to the hearts of many in both countries.”
Jesse and the proposal for Saved received the Ollie New Play Award from the Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation in November 2023.