From backstage to rooftop: A rare tour inside Sejong Center

A group of Korean language students at Yonsei University gathered outside the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Thursday Morning, listening through wireless headsets as a guide introduced the building’s history and architectural context.

Leading the tour, former television news anchor Yoo Jung-ah explained the site’s historical significance and its spatial design. Drawing a comparison to traditional Korean architecture, she explained that the complex, which opened in 1978, was organized like a hanok, with a central courtyard flanked by key structures.

This was the beginning of a 70-minute backstage tour organized by the Sejong Center, offering rare access to areas of the venue that typically remain closed to the public.

Inside, participants first stopped at the Grand Theater lobby, where they learned about sculptures by Nam June Paik, before entering the hall itself — the venue’s largest, with more than 3,000 seats.

On stage, the set for "Nabucco" was already in place, offering a glimpse of an upcoming production by the Seoul Metropolitan Opera. Towering columns, layered platforms and painted backdrops hinted at the scale.

As participants settled into their seats, Yoo explained the theater’s design and technical capabilities — from stage mechanics and acoustics to the scheduling of major productions. For many, it was a rare opportunity to observe not just the finished performance space, but the process behind it.

The tour then moved backstage, where participants followed the narrow corridors behind the stage while listening to explanations about how productions are assembled and managed out of sight of the audience.

They later visited rehearsal studios used by the center’s resident companies. On the fifth floor of a building adjacent to the main hall, the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre was in the midst of preparations for an upcoming performance in May. Dancers were rehearsing a sequence "Hallyangmu (Prodigal Man Dance)" Dancers were rehearsing a sequence from Hallyangmu (“Prodigal Man Dance”), described as a motif that inspired the “Saja Boys” dance in "KPop Demon Hunters."

Participants were then invited to try the movement themselves — a slow, controlled sequence using a fan in one hand — adding a brief hands-on experience to the tour.

“It was really interesting. I really liked it,” said Fizah Kainat from Pakistan, who is set to begin her undergraduate studies after a year of language training.

The tour continued through several of the center’s smaller venues, including the S Theater, M Theater and the Chamber Hall, offering a broader view of the complex’s programming scale.

The tour concluded on the rooftop, which offers an aerial view of Gwanghwamun Square.

For many, the chance to step beyond the audience’s perspective — into rehearsal rooms, backstage corridors and working stages — was the most memorable part of the experience.

“When I studied in New York, I often went to see Broadway shows,” said Karie Lai, a Taiwanese participant. “But I had never seen what happens behind the scenes. That was the most interesting part.”

Laragh Keane from Ireland, who attended a performance of “Phantom” at the venue last year, said the tour added a new dimension to her theater experience.

"People tend to think the performing arts is difficult. I hope this tour offers a more approachable way to experience it," said Yoo, the tour’s live commentator.

Regular tours are scheduled to take place on Monday and Thursday mornings starting in May, with reservations opening through the center’s website. After free pilot sessions in April, the Sejong Center will run the backstage tour regularly for a 35,000 won fee.