Yong Ho-seong, former vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, is stepping into a bold new chapter of his creative life by using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to set classical literature to music. Performing under the stage name Dr. Dragon, Yong released his debut full-length album, "Fragile Beauty," on Nov. 10, breathing contemporary musical life into 15 of William Shakespeare's sonnets through AI-assisted composition and vocals. The release marks the first installment of "DiVerse," an ambitious ongoing project to set all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets to modern music. The idea was sparked by a hardcover edition of Shakespeare's complete sonnets that a British friend gifted him during his tenure as director of the Korean Cultural Centre UK. "The name reflects both Shakespeare's original verse and the newly written lyrics, as well as the diverse musical genres used to reimagine centuries-old classics," Yong told The Korea Times during an interview in Seoul, Thursday. "Rather than simply translating archaic English, I adapted the themes so modern listeners can relate, such as