Performing Arts Ticket Sales Reach KRW 1.7326 Trillion in 2025, Up 18.8% from Previous Year

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister CHAE Hwi-young, MCST), together with the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS), has published the 2025 Performing Arts Market Ticket Sales Analysis Report, based on ticket booking data compiled by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS) for 2025.

According to the report, total ticket sales in Korea’s performing arts market in 2025 (January 1 – December 31, 2025) reached KRW 1.7326 trillion, up 18.8% from the previous year (KRW 1.4589 trillion). The number of productions rose 9.6% year-over-year (YoY) to 23,608, the number of performances increased 11.3% to 136,579, and total ticket bookings grew 10.8% to 24.78 million. The average ticket price rose by about KRW 5,000 from last year to around KRW 70,000.

Pop Music Ticket Sales Up 29.0%; Musicals and Dance Also Post Strong Growth at 7.2% and 29.5%, Respectively

Pop music recorded the highest ticket sales among all genres in 2025, with total sales rising 29.0% YoY to KRW 981.7 billion. The number of productions increased 17.0%, while ticket bookings grew 19.9%. This appears to have been driven by a strong run of large-scale concerts with a seating capacity of more than 10,000.

The musical sector recorded ticket sales of KRW 498.9 billion, up 7.2%. All major indicators showed growth, with the number of productions up 13.9%, performances up 14.6%, and ticket bookings up 8.9%. The opening of many well-known productions appears to have helped expand the musical market by drawing strong audience interest.

The dance sector also posted notable growth, with ticket sales rising 29.5% to KRW 26.7 billion. The number of productions, performances, and ticket bookings increased 18.3%, 24.9%, and 17.0%, respectively. Performances in Korea of contemporary dance works from overseas—repertoire pieces familiar to local audiences—are seen as having contributed to the market’s expansion.

Regional Performing Arts Markets Show Gradual Growth Despite Continued Concentration in Capital Area

The capital area (Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon) accounted for 76.4% of total ticket bookings and 82.7% of total ticket sales nationwide. While the concentration of both supply and demand in the capital area persisted, shifts were observed within the region. Seoul’s share of national ticket sales fell from 65.1% in 2024 to 60.6% in 2025, while Gyeonggi-do’s share rose from 8.7% to 14.5% and Incheon’s from 5.2% to 7.6%. This trend appears to reflect expanded performance infrastructure and a growing number of large-scale performances in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon.

Outside the capital area, Daegu (1,422) and Busan (1,381) recorded the highest numbers of productions. As for productions, Busan posted YoY growth of 7.3%, while Daegu posted 11.1%. Ticket sales reached KRW 101.7 billion in Busan and KRW 56.6 billion in Daegu, up 23.0% and 0.1% from the previous year, respectively.

The 2025 Performing Arts Market Ticket Sales Analysis Report is available on the websites of MCST (www.mcst.go.kr), KAMS (www.gokams.or.kr), and KOPIS (www.kopis.or.kr).