Sejong Center to offer backstage tour for foreign visitors in Seoul

Visitors tour the stage at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul in this undated photo. Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is opening up spaces normally hidden from audiences to foreign visitors in Seoul, the center announced Thursday.

The Sejong Backstage Tour, guided entirely in English, takes participants behind the scenes of one of the capital’s most symbolic performance venues to explore its history, architecture and production process.

Designed as a cultural experience rather than a simple facility tour, the program aims to help international visitors understand the value of the landmark building more deeply by going beyond watching a show and delving into how productions are made.

The route begins with an introduction to the building’s architecture and its place in the urban fabric of Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, a historic gateway corridor linking Seoul City Hall and Gyeongbok Palace.

Visitors then move through the main theater, from the audience seats to the stage, before stepping into normally restricted areas such as backstage corridors and rehearsal rooms used by resident art troupes.

Former television news anchor Yoo Jung-ah provides live commentary via wireless headsets so participants can follow along comfortably as they move through the building.

The tour also offers an early look at Sejong Center’s rooftop observatory, which is set to officially open to the public in October after being closed for decades.

An overview of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

“Backstage tours are Sejong Center’s unique cultural tourism content, where visitors can experience both the history of Seoul and the reality of the performing arts scene in Gwanghwamun Square, as K-culture draws global attention,” Sejong Center President Ahn Ho-sang said in a statement.

He added that he hoped the program will leave foreign visitors with a deeper impression of Korean performing arts and the city’s cultural appeal.

The tour will debut as a free pilot program in April and become a paid, regular offering on Monday and Thursday mornings starting in May.

Reservations open at 10 a.m. on April 6 through the Sejong Center website. Inquiries are available by calling 02-399-1000.