Sejong Center CEO pledges to grow as Seoul's landmark
By Yun Suh-young
Lee Sung-yeop, CEO of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. / Courtesy of SCPA
When people think of Seoul, they don't think of it as a city of arts. An average tourist wouldn't plan a trip to Seoul just to visit the arts scene unless they're inclined to pay a visit due to their profession in the related field or because of their strong passion and interest.
Yet, cities that have become global tourist sites such as Paris, New York and London are well-known for their arts and performance scenes represented by famous venues such as Palais Garnier, Metropolitan Opera and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) or the West End theaters, and these venues are considered must-visit sites for any tourist.
Seoul's arts and performance scene is as vibrant and flourishing as these popular global destinations, and in some aspects even more fascinating as its cultural scene is advancing, but global audiences are less aware of it.
Sejong as a landmark
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (SCPA) is situated in the most optimum location both in terms of greeting tourists and visitors but also in terms of its historical context ― right next to the Gwanghwamun Plaza facing the Gyeongbok Palace.
"Even compared to the global arts venues, I would say Sejong is in a comparably great location. Everything happens around here. The coup d'etat went through here and the recent candlelit protests were also held here. Historically and continuing on, occupying the Gwanghwamun was and is equivalent to occupying the leadership in society," said Lee Sung-yeop, CEO of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, during an interview with The Korea Times, last week. Lee, a former professor at the Korea National University of Arts, was appointed to CEO in 2014 and will hold the position until the end of this year.
"Our center was designated as one of the future cultural assets of Seoul. It's been 40 years since our inception, but I think we've become quite established. As a witness to the historical events that have occurred in our contemporary history, I think we are growing into a historical site with context."
The recent protests calling for President Park Geun-hye to step down for her political scandal was held seven times on the streets of Gwanghwamun, occupying the plaza across from the arts center. The center had opened up its lobby to citizens to use the restrooms during those protests. Interestingly, performances were held simultaneously inside the center while the protest was held outside the window. Lee said the protesters were extremely quiet and respectful when they entered the arts center despite the situation going on outside.
"I've also worked at the Seoul Arts Center (SAC) from 1987 to 2001 but the reason the SAC wouldn't be considered a must-visit place is because of the weak historical and traditional context. Sejong has a slight upper hand in that context but we still lack the 'splendor' or magnificence that distinguishes this venue from others. I think what we need adjacent to our historical image is a contemporary one. So we're focusing on building a contemporary image at the moment but it would have to be accompanied by architectural presence," said Lee.
"What's being considered at the moment is to build a new concert hall next to the SCPA. The city is considering operating it along with the Sejong center. I think that's a great idea. It will help complete the cultural complex here in Gwanghwamun and shorten the journey to becoming a must-visit landmark in Seoul."
What the CEO hopes to introduce is a permanent tour program introducing the venue to visitors guided by a docent.
"It will be interesting because it has a story. Visitors don't have to see a performance but they might be interested in the venue itself," said Lee.
"It won't be profitable. The Metropolitan in New York has a tour program which isn't profitable either. But it's meaningful."
Globalizing services
Unfortunately the percentage of foreigners ― both living in Seoul or coming from overseas ― visiting the venue is extremely low. Lee says even the most popular arts venues overseas don't reap high ticket sales from tourists but rather the sales come from the locals. Still, there's a need for expanding the service at the Sejong center to become English-friendly and easier for foreigners to make reservations online.
"I think the role of art centers like us is to prepare and provide basic information as faithfully as possible. Many organizations mull over how to attract foreigners to their events. When I was directing the Hi Seoul festival, they placed leaflets in front of hotels. But we don't usually look at leaflets at hotels when we're overseas. They might be necessary when needed, but I think the priority is to make the information available promptly through our website or mobile app," said Lee.
"We do get requests from the city to produce performances targeted to foreign tourists but I'm not sure if we need to do that. I don't think a foreign audience is any different from the locals. I want us to do what we can do best."
Lee plans to add a reservation and booking function on the center's English website which currently does not carry the service. Although he was not sure how long it would take to apply the service, he agreed with the need for an English service on reserving tickets.
Regarding English subtitles for Korean performances, Lee said he would also look into applying it for certain performances with scale.
"We currently have English and Korean subtitles for operas and there had been no need for subtitles in classical and dance performances. With musicals, the scenes and scripts change from time to time so it is difficult to be flexible if we have set translated subtitles. But we can definitely try to make the subtitles available for ones that already have them ― like 'Hero' which will be open Wednesday. It was already introduced in China and the U.S.," said Lee.
"Interestingly, according to my observation, some musicals have seen a sudden boost of ticket sales which was attributed to the fans of certain musical singers. About 30 percent would be foreigners. When K-pop stars are featured in the musicals, the rate goes up."
The Sejong center has a unique service where each seat is equipped with a screen per seat, much like an airplane seat.
"We were the first to adopt this service in Korea 10 years ago. We thought others would follow our path, but it turned out they didn't."
The center launched a service last year called "Sejong Season" which allows customers to buy tickets in advance for the performances to be held that year. Instead of promoting a performance right before it is held, the center scheduled an annual list of performances in advance, like many other global arts centers are doing.
"I think everyone in this industry will agree with the need for this system. It meets the global standard. It's really time consuming to keep deciding on a program on a rolling basis. If we have a set schedule, it's much easier to operate," said Lee.
"It's possible because we have nine performance groups under our wing. Last year, we were able to meet the schedule successfully."
The center saw a slight increase in ticket sales last year since its adoption of the annual program. The customer satisfaction rate increased by 3.3 percent.
A new service Lee hopes to add this year is the "gift package" service where a person can buy a package ticket to be sent as a present to another person.
"I want to send tickets as gifts to my acquaintances so I really hope our center can add a service to our reservation system," he said.
Despite the various plans, however, the center is struggling financially.
"The only way I think we can survive in the future is to collaborate with corporations. We're not looking for unconditional sponsorship from them. We want to provide services that they can use and share with their clients and employees and in return we will receive monetary benefits," said Lee. "Hyundai Motors is already doing a five year project with us for 10 billion won with a media facade on our building promoting the company's image as a culturally advanced company."