Sejong Center Becomes a 'Production Theater', Leading a K-Performance Renaissance
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts has completed a shift to a 'production theater' model over four years, transforming into a major cultural platform in central Seoul. By developing in-house creation capacity through Seoul municipal arts groups, the center revived many works across genres—plays, musicals, opera, gugak (traditional Korean music), dance and ballet—and re-staged about 28 repertory pieces from 131 new works. Hit productions like Ilmu (a dance piece that sold out at New York’s Lincoln Center), Dasi, Bom and Ttungso Sori (a work that won a major Korean arts award) proved both artistic quality and box-office appeal. The venue now draws about 10,000 visitors daily (20,000 on weekends), increased paid attendance by over 30%, and expanded revenue with pop-ups, an Arts Goods Festival, subscriptions and sponsorships. President Ahn Hosang emphasized building theatre heritage, competing with AI/OTT by producing high-quality live content, and shaping Sejong as a K-culture hub with experiential programs (pop-ups, house tours) and a new rooftop garden to attract tourists.
