1. Overview

Another Sun (두 번째 태양) is a large-scale Korean original musical produced by Hyundai Theatre Company, exploring humanity, morality, and the pursuit of peace through mythological allegory. Rooted in the Korean philosophical concept of Innaecheon (人乃天)—the idea that “Man is Heaven”—the musical presents a fantastical struggle between light and darkness, strength and weakness, and greed and compassion.

Through vivid choreography, multimedia projection, and epic battle sequences, Another Sun reimagines a cosmic world where heroes symbolized by the sun confront forces of evil. Its blend of mythology, spectacle, and spiritual message makes it one of the earliest Korean attempts to convey national themes through a universal stage language.

2. Background and Development

Premiering in Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do, on October 1–2, 2007, Another Sun was conceived as a cultural export project highlighting the mythic origins and moral ideals of Korea. The musical was produced by the Hyundai Theatre Company, founded in 1976 and known for its international tours promoting Korean performing arts.

For its overseas productions, Hyundai enlisted Joseph A. Baker—a Broadway music director and arranger whose credits include Footloose, Smokey Joe’s Café, and The Lion King—to re-orchestrate the score and lead the orchestra. Baker worked alongside director Kim Jin-young and production supervisor Jeff Markowitz, both veterans of large-scale Western theatre.

The creative team incorporated traditional Korean instruments such as the daegeum and haegeum into a Western orchestral framework, while choreography drew inspiration from Korean martial arts. This East-West fusion reflected the production’s ambition to transcend cultural boundaries while preserving its distinctly Korean mythological roots.

3. U.S. Performance (2008)

The musical was presented at New York City Center on September 9–10, 2008, as part of a cultural exchange program supported by the Korean Cultural Service New York. Billed as a “mythical story of balance in the world,” the New York production emphasized human compassion and moral equilibrium amid chaos.

The Korean cast featured top musical and stage actors from Seoul, and the production used dynamic visual effects and symbolic staging to evoke an otherworldly atmosphere. Directed by Kim Jin-young, this engagement marked one of the earliest appearances of a fully Korean-created musical at a major Manhattan venue.

Although little English-language press coverage followed, Another Sun drew attention within the Korean diaspora community and was noted for its ambition and scale relative to other touring cultural works of its time.

4. U.K. Performance (2010)

Two years later, Another Sun was staged at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London from August 27–28, 2010, with three free public performances. The production featured an expanded creative team led by Joseph A. Baker as musical conductor and arranger, Kim Jin-young as director, and a full Korean cast performing alongside a hybrid orchestra.

The London presentation was widely publicized as a major Korean cultural event—“a merger of Western and Asian philosophies in one stunning piece.” According to Baker, the production aimed to dismantle the conventional walls of Western musical theatre and showcase the emotional sincerity of Korean storytelling.

Reviews described Another Sun as visually spectacular yet culturally dense, offering audiences “a glimpse into Korea’s spiritual imagination.” A London critic summarized it as “educational, though not easily accessible to foreigners,” reflecting both the show’s ambition and its challenge of cross-cultural translation.

5. Legacy

While Another Sun did not lead to further Western transfers, it remains a landmark in the early globalization of Korean musical theatre. Its combination of national mythology, symphonic fusion, and theatrical spectacle positioned it as a forerunner to later large-scale Korean exports that sought to bridge artistic traditions.

The production’s partnership between Korean creators and Broadway professionals marked an important precedent—one that demonstrated both the potential and the limits of introducing deeply Korean narratives to Western audiences.