From Seoul to Broadway: Korea’s Musical Theatre Comes of Age
Sixty years ago, Korea was still finding its musical voice. Today, its musicals are finding their way to Broadway. There is something rather satisfying about a theatrical form born in the West travelling east, taking root in Korea, absorbing local history and culture, and eventually making the journey back to New York with a Tony-winning […] The post From Seoul to Broadway: Korea’s Musical Theatre Comes of Age appeared first on Music Press Asia.
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Sixty years ago, Korea was still finding its musical voice. Today, its musicals are finding their way to Broadway.
There is something rather satisfying about a theatrical form born in the West travelling east, taking root in Korea, absorbing local history and culture, and eventually making the journey back to New York with a Tony-winning show in its suitcase.
That story is now being celebrated through Powerhouse 60, a collaboration between the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Musical Theatre Association marking six decades of Korean musical theatre. The list recognises 20 actors, 20 creators and producers, and 20 productions that helped shape the genre from 1966 to 2026.
The timing is significant. This year, Baeksang introduced a dedicated musical category for the first time, signalling just how far the Korean musical industry has travelled.
The journey began with Ssaljjagi Opseoye in 1966, Korea’s first original musical. Three decades later, The Last Empress became the first Korean musical to reach Broadway, opening a door that once seemed rather firmly shut.
Then came a generation of distinctly Korean productions: Hero, Frankenstein, Fan Letter, The Man Who Laughs and others. And in 2025, Maybe Happy Ending turned the journey into a full circle, winning six Tony Awards on Broadway after beginning life as a Korean production.
The real achievement, however, is not simply reaching Broadway.
It is what happened along the way.
Korea did not merely import the musical. It made the form its own.
For Asia’s creative industries, that may be the more interesting lesson: cultural influence need not travel in one direction. Sometimes the apprentice returns with something new to teach the master.
The post From Seoul to Broadway: Korea’s Musical Theatre Comes of Age appeared first on Music Press Asia.
