LG Art Center Seoul Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Magok Opening, Audience Increases by 40%

290,000 Visitors in One Year After Magok Relocation
Increase in Audience from Western Seoul Metropolitan Area and Non-Metropolitan Regions

The number of visitors to LG Arts Center Seoul, which relocated from Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul to Magok, Gangseo-gu, has significantly increased.

LG Arts Center Seoul. [Photo by LG Arts Center]

According to LG Arts Center on the 12th, 290,000 visitors attended LG Arts Center Seoul in the one year after moving to Magok. This figure represents an increase of more than 40% compared to the annual average audience of 205,000 during the Yeoksam-dong period.

During the first year after opening, LG Arts Center Seoul welcomed 240,000 visitors through 31 performances at the main theater LG Signature Hall (1,365 seats), and 50,000 visitors through 19 performances at the black box theater U+ Stage (variable seating 120?365 seats).

The number of visitors who came for architectural tours, educational programs, and F&B use within the building was also counted at 250,000, bringing the total cumulative visitors over one year to 540,000.

LG Arts Center announced its plan to relocate to the Magok district in 2021. At that time, concerns about a decrease in audience due to the move to a new area were raised. However, with a large influx of new audiences centered around Magok, initial concerns about accessibility completely disappeared. Among the 33 planned performances hosted by LG Arts Center, 17 sold out, with an average ticket sales rate exceeding 90%. The musical 'Hero,' the first rental performance after opening, also recorded the highest sales ever.

Since the relocation, there has been a significant increase in visitors from the western metropolitan area (Gangseo-gu, Yangcheon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Goyang-si, Gimpo-si).

Analysis of data from members who purchased tickets at least once in the past year showed that the largest number of visitors came from Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where the theater is located. This was followed by Gangnam-gu, Mapo-gu, Seocho-gu, Yangcheon-gu, Songpa-gu, and Yeongdeungpo-gu. In the metropolitan area, the order was Goyang-si, Seongnam-si, Gimpo-si, Suwon-si, and Yongin-si.

Guillaume Diop named ?toile after the Paris Opera Ballet's performance of 'Giselle' ⓒStudio AL [Photo by LG Arts Center]

The regional distribution of audiences varied significantly by performance. Family-oriented performances such as the musical 'Hero' and Lee Eun-gyeol's 'The Illusion' attracted many local audiences, while overseas troupe performances such as Paris Opera Ballet's 'Giselle' and Yoann Bourgeois' 'Tilted People' showed a well-distributed audience across the metropolitan area.

Notably, the proportion of non-metropolitan audiences excluding Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon was 13%, more than double that of Yeoksam. LG Arts Center explained, "The nationwide recognition of LG Arts Center Seoul designed by Tadao Ando, its proximity to Gimpo Airport, and direct connection to Seoul Station via the Airport Railroad have improved accessibility for non-metropolitan audiences, which is believed to have influenced this increase."

The age distribution of audiences was 30s (34%), 40s (29%), 20s (20%), 50s (12%), and 60s (3%), showing little difference from the Yeoksam period. The gender ratio was 67% female and 33% male, which is somewhat higher in male audience compared to the average gender ratio in the performing arts sector (72% female, 28% male, according to Interpark's 2019 performance report).

Since relocating to Magok, LG Arts Center Seoul has completely dispelled concerns about challenges in an unfamiliar area by presenting a variety of performances.

On the 13th, the opening commemorative performance at LG Arts Center Seoul. Pianist Seong-Jin Cho passionately performed to the music conducted by Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra.
[Photo by LG Arts Center]

The opening performance 'Simon Rattle & London Symphony Orchestra (Pianist Cho Seong-jin)' sold out all seats within 40 seconds of ticket release. In November 2022, French choreographer Yoann Bourgeois visited Korea for the first time to present 'Tilted People' and 'Opening 2,' and in March, the Paris Opera Ballet returned to Korea after 30 years to perform their representative work 'Giselle.'

Directed by Yang Jeong-ung, 'Faust' attracted attention with a star-studded cast including Park Hae-soo, Yoo In-chon, Park Eun-seok, and Won Jin-ah, becoming the top hit in the first half of 2023. The 1,300-seat main theater was sold out for a month during Park Hae-soo's passionate performance as the devil Mephisto. Son Seok-gu's theatrical comeback work 'Army on the Tree' also extended its run after selling out all seats for seven weeks.

Additionally, LG Arts Center Seoul, designed by Tadao Ando with three architectural concepts called 'Tube,' 'Gate Arc,' and 'Step Atrium,' has become a landmark itself since its opening.

Lee Hyun-jung, director of LG Arts Center, said, "Thanks to the know-how and dedicated efforts of the staff who operated LG Arts Center Yeoksam for 22 years, we were able to stabilize faster than expected," adding, "In 2024 and 2025, we plan to meet audience expectations with even more interesting and abundant works."

She continued, "Next year, we are preparing a challenging theatrical work featuring a famous overseas director and top Korean actors," and stated, "We will develop the center into a venue that audiences want to visit not only from the metropolitan area but also nationwide and overseas."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.