Strategies for Globalizing K-Musicals to Be Discussed at Global Musical Industry Conference

Strategies for overseas expansion, IP exports, and talent development to be discussed
Around 20 experts from Korea and abroad, including a producer of SIX, to participate

An academic conference will be held to discuss strategies for bringing Korean musicals to international audiences and ways to develop talent for the global era.

The Korea Arts Management Service and the Korean Society for Musical Theatre Studies announced on October 26 that they will jointly host the 2026 Global Musical Industry Conference on November 7 at SETEC in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The conference will be held under the theme “What—and Who—Is Expanding? The Essence of Musicals and Talent Development in the Global Era.” As Korean musicals pursue increasingly diverse paths to international markets, including overseas co-productions, capital investment, and intellectual property (IP) exports, the conference will explore business strategies linked to the global production ecosystem and ways to develop creative and planning talent. Around 20 people, including researchers and producers from Korea and abroad, production company representatives, and critics, will take part.

Ko Hee-kyung, president of the Korean Society for Musical Theatre Studies, will deliver the first keynote address, titled “Korean Musicals After Compressed Growth: The Field, Challenges, and Global Potential.” Next, David Sabran, an American theater scholar and distinguished professor emeritus at the City University of New York, will speak on “Korean Musicals on the World Stage.” In his book on the globalization of Broadway musicals, Tell It to the World: The Broadway Musical Abroad, Professor Sabran analyzed Korean original musicals as a major case study.

Presentations will be divided into three sessions: the globalization of productions and academic discourse; the global production ecosystem and market strategies; and field research by emerging scholars.

Andy Barnes, an original producer of the Tony Award-winning musical SIX, will take part in the first session and discuss how a university festival production became a global IP, as well as risk management during the creative process and collaboration. Producer Choi Kyung-hwa will address the internationalization of Korea’s musical production capabilities, while Professor Yeo Ji-hyun of Montclair State University will discuss Korean musicals from the perspective of U.S. academia.

In the second session, Kim Yu-cheol, head of performance development and investment at NHN Link, will analyze Broadway’s step-by-step musical development process, and producer Rita Huang of China’s Damai Entertainment will present examples of collaboration between Korean and Chinese musical theater. Performing arts critic Park Byung-sung will examine the conditions for expanding Korea’s musical market, focusing on audiences, creative work, policy, and overseas markets.

In the third session, emerging scholars will present research on topics including the relationship between characters and commercial success, ways to boost investment in the musical industry, and vocal training for musical theater students. A roundtable featuring the keynote speakers, session presenters, and industry professionals will then discuss “Talent Development for Musicals in the Global Era.”

Professor David Sabran

Kim Jang-ho, CEO of the Korea Arts Management Service, said, “It is meaningful to create a forum for academia and the industry to discuss talent development at a time when K-musicals are beginning to make a full-scale push into international markets.” He added, “The Korea Arts Management Service will continue to foster collaboration that connects research with the field.”

Ko Hee-kyung, president of the Korean Society for Musical Theatre Studies, said, “Korean musicals have achieved remarkable quantitative growth in a short period, but now is the time to calmly ask, ‘What—and who—will expand?’” She added, “I hope this conference, which brings together overseas scholars, industry producers, and emerging researchers, will serve as a starting point for determining the direction of musical talent development in the global era.”

The conference is free and open to musical theater researchers, industry professionals, students, audience members, and anyone else interested. Participants can register in advance through the Korea Arts Management Service or Korean Society for Musical Theatre Studies websites, or register in person on the day of the event.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.