Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District is the largest arts complex in South Korea. The government decided to build it in 1982 with an eye to the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympics. In February 1988 the Music Hall opened, with the country's first dedicated concert hall, seating around 2,500, and a recital hall, together with the Calligraphy Museum. The Opera House followed in 1993; its roof recalls the traditional Korean hat known as the gat, and it contains a 2,305-seat opera theatre, the CJ Towol Theater and a flexible studio theatre. In December 2007 a fire during a performance of La Bohème destroyed the stage, which was rebuilt by the end of 2008. The centre is home to the Korea National Opera, the Korea National Ballet and the Korean Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Hangaram Art Museum and Hangaram Design Museum.
The Seoul Arts Center, opened in 1988 for the Olympic Games, is Asia's largest cultural complex — the characteristic building shape is meant to recall a traditional Korean hat (Gat).
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Seoul, South Korea