Beside Gwanghwamun Square: Sejong Center, Seoul’s 1978 Performing Arts Venue

A New Beginning on April 14, 1978, Following the 1972 Seoul Citizens Hall Fire

The Sejong Center for Performing Arts began on the site of Seoul Citizens Hall, which was destroyed by fire in 1972. The Seoul Metropolitan Government began construction in 1974, and the building designed by Eom Deok-mun Architectural Research Institute after a design competition opened on April 14, 1978.

The exterior walls were finished with granite, while sculptures and reliefs were arranged to embody traditional styles in modern public architecture. Accordingly, in the Gwanghwamun area, this building can be viewed as more than simply a performance venue: it is also a place that reflects the restructuring of central Seoul and the expansion of cultural infrastructure in the 1970s.

175 Sejong-daero, 200 m from Exits 1 and 8 of Gwanghwamun Station

The official road-name address is 175 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, postal code 03172. The main telephone and ticket inquiry number is 02-399-1000, and telephone consultations and reservations are available daily from 09:00 to 20:00. The official website is https://www.sejongpac.or.kr.

By subway, the simplest route is to travel approximately 200 m toward Gwanghwamun from Exit 1, Exit 8, or Exit 7 of Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5. Jonggak Station on Line 1 is 350 m toward Gwanghwamun from Exit 1, while Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3 can be reached from Exit 6 toward Sejong-daero.

Buses 401, 406, 700, 703, and 704 on trunk routes; 1711, 7016, 7018, and 7022 on branch routes; and airport bus 6005 stop at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts stop. At the Gwanghwamun central bus-lane stop, you can use routes including 103, 150, 160, 260, 270, 271, 273, 370, 470, 601, 702A, 702B, 705, 707, 720, 721, and 741.

Tickets Vary by Performance; Reservations Available Until Two Hours Before Start Time

The Sejong Center for Performing Arts does not have a fixed admission fee. Prices, age requirements, and discount conditions for performances and exhibitions at the Grand Theater, M Theater, S Theater, and Chamber Hall vary by production, so check the individual program page for your visit date.

Online reservations are available 24 hours a day on PCs and mobile devices, and can generally be made until two hours before the performance begins. Telephone reservations are also available from 09:00 to 20:00, and there is no reservation fee for either online or telephone bookings. The service plaza at the Sejong Lounge on the first floor accepts on-site reservations year-round from 10:00 to 20:00, but is closed for lunch from 13:00 to 14:00.

On days with scheduled performances, it is best to arrive early enough to allow time for collecting tickets, using the restroom, and finding your seat. Regulations concerning wheelchair seats, discount documentation, and late admission may vary by production and performance, so it is safest to confirm them with 02-399-1000 before booking.

Backstage Tour on Tuesdays from 10:10 to 11:20, Limited to 25 Participants

If you want to see more of the interior even on a day when you are not attending a performance, a backstage tour is available. Registration begins at 10:00 every Tuesday in the Grand Theater lobby, and the tour runs for approximately 70 minutes from 10:10 to 11:20. Each session is limited to 25 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, and is conducted with Korean-language commentary.

The fee is 35,000 won, while children aged seven and under enter free of charge. A 50% discount is available to national merit beneficiaries and persons with disabilities when supporting documents are presented. Groups of 5 or more, 10 or more, and 15 or more receive discounts of 10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively. Reservations are made through a separate application link, and payment is made by card on-site on the day of the tour.

The course includes the exterior of the venue, the Grand Theater, Chamber Hall, M Theater, and S Theater, the arts company rehearsal rooms, and the rooftop observatory. Cancellations must be made by email by 17:00 on the day before the tour; refunds are not available after that time or once the tour has begun.

How to Visit the Free, Connected 4,222 m² Sejong Story and Admiral Yi Sun-sin Story Exhibitions

Sejong Story beneath Gwanghwamun Square and Admiral Yi Sun-sin Story on the second basement level of the Sejong Center for Performing Arts are connected exhibition halls. Sejong Story opened on October 9, 2009, and Admiral Yi Sun-sin Story opened on April 28, 2010; their exhibition areas are 2,522 m² and 1,700 m², respectively.

Both exhibition halls are open daily from 10:00 to 18:30, with admission closing at 18:00. They are closed every Monday, except when Monday is a public holiday, in which case they open and close the following day. Admission is free, and the exhibition inquiry number is 02-399-1177.

Sejong Story consists of six spaces covering King Sejong's people-centered philosophy, the creation of Hangul, science and the arts, and military policy. Admiral Yi Sun-sin Story consists of six spaces covering Yi Sun-sin's life, Joseon naval vessels, seven years of naval warfare, the War Diary, leadership, and a 4D experience hall. If you have an evening performance, a natural itinerary is to spend about 60 to 90 minutes at these exhibitions during the day, then go up to ground level at Gwanghwamun Square and walk to the center.

A Grand Theater Route with Braille Tactile Maps, Happy Call, and Wheelchair Lifts

The Sejong Center for Performing Arts has a Braille tactile map at the Grand Theater entrance and Braille blocks along the accessible routes to the Grand Theater and M Theater. Happy Call buttons are located on both sides of the central stairs, at the Sejong-ro parking lot entrance, toward Exits 1 and 8 of Gwanghwamun Station, and at the Arts Garden entrance. The facility states that, after a call, security staff provide one-to-one assistance within three minutes.

Wheelchair lifts are installed on the first floor of the Grand Theater, at Sejongtteurak, and on the entrance stairs of M Theater. Elevators on both sides of the Grand Theater are also available, as are elevators connecting the first floor of the Sejong Lounge, Sejong Museum of Art, Sejongtteurak, and the M Theater lobby.

Sejong Story and Admiral Yi Sun-sin Story provide sign-language videos, Braille leaflets, hearing aids, magnifying glasses, and stroller and wheelchair rentals, as well as voice-conversion barcodes and Google-based multilingual translation. If you want tour commentary in a foreign language, note that the current backstage tour is conducted in Korean; it is therefore preferable to arrange separate interpretation or use the exhibitions' multilingual assistance features.

Why the Subway Is Better Than Sejong-ro Public Parking on Performance Evenings

Visitors arriving by car can find information about Sejong-ro Public Parking in the official guide, but traffic around Gwanghwamun and entrances and exits to the parking lot may overlap with performance start and end times. If you are attending a performance where missing the scheduled curtain time would be difficult, access via Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5 offers more predictable travel time.

Parking fees may change depending on the operator and time of day, so no fixed amount is provided here. If you travel by car, check the Sejong-ro Public Parking fee page again on the day of your visit, including the estimated departure time, and aim to arrive at the venue 30 to 40 minutes before the performance begins.

The recommended amount of time also depends on your purpose. For a ticketed performance, allow for the running time plus entry and departure time; allow exactly 70 minutes for the backstage tour and approximately 60 to 90 minutes for Sejong Story and Admiral Yi Sun-sin Story.