National Theater of Korea, Theatre in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The National Theater of Korea stands on Jangchungdan-ro in Jangchung-dong, Jung District, Seoul. Its main venue, the Haeoreum Grand Theater, opened in 1973, was rebuilt in 2004 and seats 1,563 with an orchestra pit and revolving and lift stages. The Daloreum Theater seats 512 after its 2014 remodeling, the Byeoloreum studio about 100, and the domed KB Haneul Youth Theater 732, with a roof section that opens for daylight.

The theater was founded in 1950 and officially opened on April 29, marking a turning point for South Korean culture during the post-war reconstruction period. Over the following decades, it grew into a major institution dedicated to advancing Korean performing arts.

The theater houses four resident companies: the National Theater Company, the National Changgeuk Company, the National Dance Company and the National Orchestra Company. Changgeuk, a sung form of Korean narrative theater, is staged in dedicated halls, and the National Orchestra rearranges folk songs and film soundtracks for its Midday Concert.

The venue is easily accessible by metro from various parts of the city, and guided tours allow visitors to explore the building's interior. It helps to check the performance schedule ahead of time since shows rotate throughout the year.

The main Haeoreum Grand Theater was modeled on Tokyo's National Theater, a kabuki venue, because Korea lacked theater-building expertise in the early 1970s; critics long cited its heavy Japanese styling and many sightline-restricted seats. It reopened in 2004 with 1,563 seats and a full renovation was decided in 2015.