Archives

This section brings together the databases at the core of this site: records of Korean musical theatre at home and abroad, compiled by hand and checked against primary sources wherever possible.

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At home, the archive follows Korean original musicals staged in Seoul’s large theaters, the venues where the industry’s most ambitious productions are tested.

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Abroad, it documents how Korean musicals have travelled. The earliest exports reached the United States and the United Kingdom with productions such as The Last Empress (명성황후), and international circulation has expanded significantly since the late 2000s. Today, Korean musicals appear overseas as licensed productions, international premieres, showcases and readings, and collaborative projects developed with foreign partners. Among the most widely exported titles are Finding Mr. Destiny (김종욱 찾기), revived regularly in Japan since its Tokyo debut; Fan Letter (팬레터), a recurring title in Tokyo’s small-theatre circuit; and Xcalibur (엑스칼리버), which expanded through large-scale licensed stagings in Japan. Marie Curie (마리 퀴리) has begun building an English-language presence through productions in London.

Where possible, each entry records dates, venues, production type, and sources. Where records are incomplete, the archive preserves what can be verified, tracing the gradual international circulation of Korean musical theatre from early cultural exchanges to long-term licensed repertoires.