An image bringing together posters of the 20 works selected for the ‘Powerhouse 60’ by the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Musical Theatre Association to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Korean musicals. Provided by the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Musical Theatre Association
Marking the 60th anniversary of Korean musicals, the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Musical Theatre Association announced the ‘Powerhouse 60’ honoring Korean musical theatre.
The Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Musical Theatre Association said they announced the musical field’s ‘Powerhouse 60’ list on the 15th to commemorate the 60th anniversary. At the recently held 62nd ceremony, the Baeksang Arts Awards added a musical category to its existing three sections (television, film, and theatre), and following the launch of the category, released this list.
‘Powerhouse 60’ is composed of 20 actors, 20 creators and producers, and 20 works that drew meaningful lines across the 60-year history from 1966, when Korea’s first original musical ‘Ssaljjagi Obseoye’ premiered, to 2026. Twenty experts in musical creation, planning, production, arts management, and academia/criticism participated as selection committee members.
The 20 selected works, listed in Korean alphabetical and alphabetical order, are: ‘Gwanghwamun Sonata’, ‘The Days’, ‘Finding Mr. Destiny’, ‘Nanta’, ‘Red Book’, ‘Rock Musical-Subway Line 1’, ‘The Last Empress’, ‘Werther’, ‘Laundry’, ‘Love in the Rain’, ‘Hymn of Death’, ‘Ssaljjagi Obseoye’, ‘Seopyeonje’, ‘Maybe Happy Ending’, ‘The Goddess Is Watching’, ‘Hero’, ‘The Man Who Laughs’, ‘Fan Letter’, ‘Frankenstein’, and ‘HOPE: The Unread Book and the Unread Life’.
The 20 actors are Kim Sun-Young, Kim So-Hyun, Kim Jun-Su, Nam Kyung-Eup, Ryu Jung-Han, Park Eun-Tae, Shin Young-Sook, Uhm Ki-Joon, Ok Joo-Hyun, Yoo Jun-Sang, Yoon Bok-Hee, Yoon Seok-Hwa, Jeon Mi-Do, Jung Sun-A, Jung Sung-Hwa, Jo Seung-Woo, Jo Jung-Eun, Cha Ji-Yeon, Choi Jung-Won, and Hong Kwang-Ho.
The 20 creators/producers are Kim Ki-Young (sound), Kim Moon-Jeong (music), Kim Min-Ki (director/producer), Park Dong-Woo (set design), Park Myung-Sung (producer), Park Cheon-Hyu (playwriting), Seo Byung-Gu (choreography), Seol Do-Yoon (producer), Song Seung-Hwan (producer), Shin Chun-Soo (producer), Uhm Hong-Hyun (producer), Oh Pil-Young (set design), Wang Yong-Beom (director), Yoon Ho-Jin (director), Lee Sung-Jun (composition), Lee Ji-Na (director), Lim Young-Woong (director), Jang Yoo-Jeong (director), Choi Chang-Kwon (composition), and Han Ah-Reum (playwriting).
In the works and creators/producers categories, figures who led the stage of each era were included, from ‘Ssaljjagi Obseoye’, the origin of Korean original musicals, and its creatorsdirector Lim Young-Woong and the late composer Choi Chang-Kwonto ‘Rock Musical-Subway Line 1’, ‘The Last Empress’, which was the first in Asia to advance to Broadway, and writer Park Cheon-Hyu, who last year became the first Korean to lift a Tony Award.
In the actors category, first-generation musical figures such as Yoon Bok-Hee, the late Yoon Seok-Hwa, and Choi Jung-Won made the list. Yoo Jun-Sang, Jo Seung-Woo, Uhm Ki-Joon, and Jeon Mi-Do, who have continued stage work while moving between television and film, were recognized for contributing to the popularization of musicals. Also included were currently active actors such as Kim Jun-Su, who won the first acting award at this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards, Park Eun-Tae, Ok Joo-Hyun, Jung Sun-A, and Hong Kwang-Ho.
The Baeksang Arts Awards and the Korea Musical Theatre Association explained that this ‘Powerhouse 60’ serves as a record that offers an at-a-glance view of the flow of Korean musicals over the past 60 years.
■ Below is the list of the 20 selection committee members for the Baeksang Arts Awards X Korea Musical Theatre Association ‘Powerhouse 60’
Planning/Producing
Kang Byung-Won (CEO, LIVE), Kim Deok-Hee (Head, Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company), Lee Sung-Hoon (CEO, Show Note), Cho Hyeong-Jun (Department Head, Ansan Cultural Foundation), Cha Su-Jeong (㈜Nol Universe Division Head)
Arts Management
Ko Hee-Kyung (Dean, Graduate School of Performing Arts, Hongik University), Kim Byung-Seok (CEO, Clip Service), Kim Hee-Cheol (Director, Daegu Culture and Arts Center), Bae Sung-Hyeok (Executive Chairman, DIMF), Ahn Ho-Sang (President, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts), Lee Jong-Gyu (Chairman, Korea Musical Theatre Association)
Creation/Stage Arts
Kim Sung-Soo (Music Director), Cho Yong-Shin (Director), Yoo Hee-Sung (Director), Han Jin-Seop (Director)
Academia/Criticism
Park Byung-Sung (Musical Columnist), Won Jong-Won (Professor, Soonchunhyang University), Lee Yu-Ri (Professor, Seoul Institute of the Arts), Jang Ji-Young (Reporter, Kukmin Ilbo), Choi Seung-Yeon (Musical Critic)
