[60th Anniversary of Korean Musicals ④] Chairman Jongkyu Lee: "A Musical Promotion Act Is Essential"

Growth of Musicals Benefits the Nation
Large-Scale Original Musicals Are Essential
Public-Purpose Venues Must Be Established

Jongkyu Lee, Chairman of the Korea Musical Association (pictured), has consistently worked toward the enactment of the "Musical Promotion Act" since taking office in 2021. He believes that, just as the "Act on the Promotion of Motion Pictures and Video Products" (commonly known as the Film Promotion Act), enacted in 1996, led to the explosive growth of the Korean film industry, a dedicated promotion act is also essential for the advancement of the musical industry.

Excluding popular arts (including pop music), musicals represent the largest revenue-generating genre in the Korean performing arts market. Last year, musical sales reached 465.1 billion won, more than four times the 101 billion won generated by the second-largest genre, Western music (classical). Nevertheless, with the enactment of the "Traditional Korean Music Promotion Act" in 2023, musicals remain the only major performing arts genre without a dedicated promotion act. Despite being the largest genre, musicals are still classified as a subcategory under the "Performing Arts Industry Promotion Act," which imposes various constraints on the industry's development.

Jongkyu Lee, Chairman of the Korean Musical Association

Fortunately, this year, the musical "Maybe Happy Ending" won six awards, including Best Musical, at the Tony Awards, the most prestigious ceremony in North America, sparking a shift in public perception. This achievement has led to growing calls within the political sphere to actively foster the musical industry, heightening expectations for the enactment of a promotion act.

In an interview with The Asia Business Daily on November 10, Lee stated, "Last June, Assemblyman Kim Seungsoo of the People Power Party proposed the Musical Promotion Act, which is currently pending. I expect discussions and reviews to take place around the end of this year, and for the act to be enacted in the first half of next year." The proposed act includes the establishment of a "Musical Industry Promotion Committee," a dedicated body responsible for deliberation, decision-making, and advisory roles to support the industry's growth. Lee also stressed the need for theaters dedicated to musicals. While Korea produces a remarkable number of original musicals by global standards, only one or two large-scale original musicals are staged annually. "For the market to grow, the creation of large-scale original musicals is essential," he said, "and to foster this, public-purpose dedicated venues must be established." He added, "Although the promotion act does not specifically mandate the establishment of theaters exclusively for original musicals, it does stipulate that the government and local authorities are responsible for promoting the Korean musical industry."

Lee believes that promoting the musical industry will ultimately provide significant benefits to the national economy. "Just as outstanding works on Broadway and the West End have been performed and generated revenue consistently for 40 to 50 years, we can also develop excellent works and export intellectual property (IP)," he said. "With more than 40 works already exported to countries such as China and Japan, the growth of the musical industry will benefit not only the industry itself but the entire nation as well," he predicted.