Jung Jaeil signs worldwide classical publishing agreement with Boosey & Hawkes
The composer of Parasite, Squid Game, and Mickey 17 film scores joins the Boosey & Hawkes roster with his acclaimed orchestral work Inferno.
Boosey & Hawkes is pleased to announce a new worldwide publishing agreement with acclaimed composer Jung Jaeil, representing his concert music and future classical works.
Best known internationally for his landmark scores to Bong Joon-ho's Academy Award-winning Parasite, Mickey 17, and Netflix's global phenomenon Squid Game, Jung has established himself as one of today's most distinctive musical voices, seamlessly moving between film and classical concert music.
The agreement includes Jung's acclaimed orchestral work Inferno (2025), commissioned by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and premiered under Jaap van Zweden in Seoul before receiving its North American premiere at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra continues to tour the work to Europe this August with performances in San Sebastián, Merano, and Amsterdam.
Commissioned by the SPO, Inferno is a 15-minute orchestral work inspired by Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities, a postmodern meditation on the problems of urban existence. New York Classical Review praised the work as “evocative, colorful music” that was “skillfully written and attractive” and “full of palpable, communicative expression,” and Bachtrack described it as “an absorbing, beautifully balanced work.”
Reflecting on writing his first stand-alone orchestral composition, Jung stated: “I believe that had I gone to any kind of formal musical institute or conservatory, I would not have been able to write a piece like this. The fact that I start with a clean slate or a blank page means that I can tap into all kinds of music that I've been listening to since my childhood—rap, heavy metal, rock and very modern, avant garde music. At the end of the day, having no identity very much defines my identity.”
Although celebrated worldwide for his film scores, Jung's musical language has always drawn deeply from the classical tradition. His soundtracks weave quotations and allusions from composers including Handel, Beethoven, and Johann Strauss into richly original musical narratives, while his broader artistic influences range from Korean traditional music and jazz to rock, heavy metal, and the avant-garde. Alongside his orchestral writing, he has also composed and produced for many of Korea's leading popular artists, including Hyo Shin Park and IU.
Steven Lankenau, President of Boosey & Hawkes, states:
Jung Jaeil represents a future for classical music that is deeply connected to the wider cultural landscape. His work moves effortlessly between the concert hall, film, and popular culture while maintaining a deeply personal musical voice. We're thrilled to welcome him to the Boosey & Hawkes family and excited to help bring his concert works to performers and audiences worldwide.
Composer Jung Jaeil states:
At the invitation of Maestro Jaap van Zweden, I have finally come to compose a piece for a full orchestra. It was the exact moment a long-held question in the corner of my heart—will I ever be able to write for a large orchestra?—turned into reality. While working on the piece, I revisited the final chapter of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, _a novel I have cherished since childhood, and finally found my way within it. I am deeply grateful to the world-renowned publisher Boosey & Hawkes, with its rich history and tradition, for resonating with and listening to my musical world. I will continue my deep musical explorations, striving to create a true "classic" that transcends time and stays alive.
Jung joins a distinguished roster of contemporary composers at Boosey & Hawkes, alongside recent signings including Jeanine Tesori, Joe Hisaishi, and Joan Armatrading.
About Jung Jaeil
Jung Jaeil (born in Seoul; based in Seoul and Berlin) is a composer, performer, music director, and producer defining a new genre that fuses traditional Korean music with Western instrumentation. In the past decade, he has composed the scores for Bong Joon-ho's Okja (Netflix), the Academy Award-winning Parasite, and Mickey 17 (Warner Bros.), as well as Netflix's global phenomenon Squid Game.
In 2025, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Jaap van Zweden gave the world premiere of his orchestral work Inferno, inspired by Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, before touring it to New York's Carnegie Hall for its North American premiere. The orchestra continues its international tour this August with performances in San Sebastián, Merano, and Amsterdam. In 2026, the Tokyo Philharmonic presented the Jung Jaeil Orchestra Concert, featuring 19 of his works, and he conducted his live score to Parasite with orchestra alongside the film at the Sydney Opera House.
About Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes, a Concord company, is the world's leading publisher of contemporary classical music, representing today's most influential composers alongside an unparalleled catalogue of 20th-century masters. Through creative publishing, promotion, licensing, and global partnerships, Boosey & Hawkes supports composers at every stage of their careers, bringing new music to performers, orchestras, opera companies, educators, filmmakers, and audiences around the world. Since joining Concord in 2017 as its first classical music publishing company, Boosey & Hawkes has continued to expand its international roster, investing in the artists shaping the future of concert music.
www.boosey.com
About Concord Music Publishing
Concord Music Publishing is a global, full-service, independent music publisher offering bespoke creative support from its A&R, Synchronization and Marketing teams and diligent administration by its in-house Copyright, Licensing, Income Tracking and Royalty departments. Based in Nashville with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Berlin and Melbourne, Concord Music Publishing owns or administers more than one million copyrighted musical works. Spanning nearly two centuries of song, through a vast array of genres and territories, Concord represents the world's most celebrated songwriters, composers and lyricists.
www.concord.com
> Further information on Work: Inferno
Photo: Courtesy of LMTH