Sejong Center for the Performing Arts () is the largest arts and cultural complex in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. It has an interior area of 53,202m². It is situated in the center of the capital, on

Sejongno Sejongno (), officially Sejong-daero () is a street that runs through Jongno District, downtown Seoul, South Korea. It is named after King Sejong the Great of Joseon. The street is 600 meters in length, but due to its central location it is o ...

, a main road that cuts through the capital city of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. The center took 4 years to complete, opening in 1978. It was "built as a cultural center for Seoulites". It currently contains one of the biggest

pipe organs The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

History

After the Seoul National Hall was destroyed by fire in 1972, the construction of a venue to continue the cultural heritage of that structure was proposed. Construction began in 1974, and it completed in April 1978. In 1999, the center was placed under control of a foundation. The center's design was based on a fusion of Korean national symbols and the western architectural designs. The name "Sejong" is from the 4th ruling king of the

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

. On 23 September 2012, the Seoul Metropolitan Government started on a trial basis, a 550-m designated section of

Sejong-ro Sejongno (), officially Sejong-daero () is a street that runs through Jongno District, downtown Seoul, South Korea. It is named after King Sejong the Great of Joseon. The street is 600 meters in length, but due to its central location it is o ...

as pedestrian-only but permitted for cyclists. The section includes the road from the Gwanghwamun three-way intersection, along Gwanghwamun Plaza in front of the Sejong Center to the Sejong-ro intersection.

Facilities

Main Auditorium

The "Big" Theater as it is called in Korean, is a technologically advanced theater. It opened in 1999 to show Shim Hyung-rae's ''Yonggary'' and has a capacity for 3,000 people and is the biggest Theater at the country.

Minor Hall

Called The "Small" Theater in Korean, is constructed in an interesting style over 2 floors, and can seat 442 people, the stage can allow for 100 people on performance.

Arts Forum Galleries

*Main Gallery: The Arts Forum is a large room (1,056 m²) that is divided into 4 separate rooms for viewings of different sizes and numbers. *New Gallery: The New Gallery is a (594 m²) place for artwork that excels in the social, popular and cultural side of Korean art. *Gwang Hwa Moon Gallery: Originally part of the 5th Line Subway Metro System, it houses artworks that are considered to be outstanding by the youth and new up-and-coming artists. Considered to be an example of Subway Art Galleries.

Gwang Hwa Rang

The Gwang Hwa Rang is situated underneath the

crossroads, it opened on February 17, 2005, with complete free access to pedestrians and art-discerning Seoulites. It includes a window-gallery that enable by-passers on ground level to peek inside.

Sejong Convention Center and Hall

The Convention Center and Hall is usually used for big events and conferences. With a size of 627 m², it can house around 400 people. It is available for many different events. It includes 250 translating systems that interprets five different languages simultaneously. The convention hall has a smaller size convention center that is used for similar purposes and is able to accommodate 120 people.

Sam Chung Gak

Measuring in 19417m², Sam Chung Gak is a collaboration of six traditional Korean Housings. Since 2001, it has been used by the center as a place for traditional heritage experience.

Resident companies

Seoul Philharmonic The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) is a South Korean orchestra based in Seoul. Founded in 1945, it is one of the oldest orchestras in South Korea. Its first foreign tour came on a 1965 trip to Japan, followed by performances in Southeast Asia ...

* Seoul National Philharmonic * Seoul Metropolitan Theater Company * City of Seoul Musical Company * Seoul Metropolitan Chorus * Seoul National Traditional Dance Company * Seoul Metropolitan Opera * Seoul Youth Orchestra * Seoul Youth Choir

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Jongno District Downtown Seoul Arts centres in South Korea Theatres in South Korea Concert halls in South Korea Culture of Seoul Buildings and structures in Seoul Tourist attractions in Seoul Cultural depictions of Sejong the Great