Top 10 Best Acting Schools in South Korea 2024 | How to Apply

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Are you a performing arts student searching for the best acting schools in South Korea? If so, then you should read this article.

In this article, you will find every detail about the best acting schools in South Korea, including the requirements, cost, and how to apply to these schools.

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This list was curated from the best MOOC platforms online, so be assured you are getting the best.

When we talk about Korea, we can’t help but bring up its international superstars, diversely talented bands, and devoted global fan base. 

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Furthermore, performing arts universities are crucial in developing and evaluating these stars since they help produce beautiful idols and create for themselves the unique styles we witness on stage. 

Singers and actors representing the current top-tier Korean entertainment business are “produced” in the top performing arts programs. This article will introduce the best 5 acting schools in Korea.

Numerous strong performing arts institutions exist in South Korea, and many of their respected graduates are active on Broadway, in touring companies, on local TV, and in film! This article is for you if you’re trying to figure out which college or institution is the best place to study theater or acting. 

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However, the top acting schools in South Korea are listed below by academic standing. Check out the list below!

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Are there Acting Schools in South Korea?

Yes, many acting schools in South Korea offer acting or theater arts as a course. Some of them are:

Below are some of the best acting schools in South Korea.

  • Korea National University of Arts 
  • Seoul Institute of the Arts
  • Chung Ang University
  • Seoul National University
  • Sungkyunkwan University
  • Seoul Foreign School
  • Yonsei University-College of Liberal Arts
  • Korean Academy of Film Arts
  • Hanyang university
  • Dongguk University

Read More- Top 10 Best Acting Schools in Germany| Requirements, Cost & How to Apply

How Does One Become an Actor in South Korea?

In contrast to becoming a dentist or a nurse, being an actor or actress in South Korea involves different steps. There is no prerequisite education level. After completing school, those who opt for formal training could have more possibilities. Acting lessons or workshops at a theatrical company’s acting conservatory are occasionally options for aspiring performers.

Others decide to major in acting in college or study theater or filmmaking. In any event, here is an illustration of how you might methodically develop the abilities required to function as an actor.

1: Take Acting Classes

2: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

3: Audition and Develop Skills

4: Consider a Master’s Program

5: Find an Agent

Also, Read- Top 10 Best Acting Schools in Italy| Requirements, Cost & How to Apply

How Long Does it Take to Study Acting in South Korea?

Some performers attend college before enrolling in theater school, while others do not. Most theater schools have requirements, such as being at least 18 years old or having A levels, Scottish Highers, or something equal (such as the International Baccalaureate or a BTEC National Diploma). 

The things you study in high school or college don’t matter for getting into drama school. It’s a good idea to gain a lot of acting experience through official education or in your free time because you’ll need to pass the complicated audition procedure.

In South Korea, undergraduate acting programs usually run for four years. You can apply right after graduating from high school or college, although you might find it helpful to do a foundation course first.

Also, acting degrees last three years for graduate programs in South Korea. 

Don’t Fail To Read- 10 Best Acting Schools in Los Angeles |Best Rankings

How Much Do Acting Schools in South Korea Cost?

There are several practical advantages to studying in Korea, including lower living expenses than in many other developed nations and affordable tuition.

Additionally, the cost of acting lessons depends on the kind and length of the chosen program. However, the price range for the estimate is between 50,000 and 2 lakh rupees.

What are the Top 10 Best Acting Schools in South Korea?

Below are the top 10 best acting schools you can find in South Korea:

1. Korea National University of Arts

The No. 1 center for artistic training in Korea is the Korea National University of Arts. This university has made numerous noteworthy contributions to the fields of music, film, and art in just about 30 years of creation and development. 

The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism founded the Korea National University of Arts, also known as KARTS, in 1992. The school has three campuses in Seoul: Seokgwan-dong, Seocho-dong, and Daehak-to. Even though it is a new institution, KARTS has made several significant accomplishments. 

Byun Yo-han, Han Ye-ri, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Dong-Wook, Kim Go-Eun, Kim Himchan (BAP), Lee Joon (MBLAQ), Park So-dam, Stephanie (The Grace), Suho (EXO), and other well-known people from the Korean entertainment business are graduates of this institution.

It is the only national institution in Asia whose sole focus is educating gifted young artists for careers in all fields of the arts. The Korea National University of Arts covers all areas of the arts, including music, dance, theater, film, television, animation, fine art, design, and traditional Korean arts.

Students and staff can use KARTS’ performance and exhibition spaces, which include a 252-seat movie theater, a big and small movie studio, five television studios, and more than 90 practice rooms. Scholarships come in a variety of forms for both Korean and international students.

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2. Seoul Institute of the Arts 

A private school focusing on the arts, Seoul Institute of the Arts or Seoul Arts College, supports students as they grow and give their abilities to the Korean entertainment industry. 

The Seoul Institute of the Arts was founded in 1962 and is based in Seoul. Seoul Institute of the Arts is a fusion of Korean traditional and cultural arts with many world cultures to foster artistic vision. 

Since its inception in 2001, the campus in Ansan has been open for business. This institution offers a cutting-edge learning environment, a range of amenities, and qualified instructors. 

These elements not only encourage creativity in pupils but also help each person’s innate artistic talents to come to the surface. 

A dormitory at Seoul Institute of the Arts will make you feel like you are living at home thanks to various ancillary amenities like a gym, restaurant, coffee shop, and full utilities such as a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and internet. 

About 5,500 international students are being trained at the institution right now, and stars like Kim Bum, Jang Hyuk, Han Hye Jin, Jung II Woo, Son Ye Jin, Lee Joon Gi, and others have graduated from it.

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3. Chung Ang University

Chung Ang University was established in 1918 as a private kindergarten run by a Catholic monastery.

In 1922, it changed its status to an all-girls school to prepare future preschool teachers. The institution changed its name to Chung Ang University in 1953, and over the next 50 years, it worked to improve the standard and prestige of its higher Education. 

However, the school has been in operation for more than 100 years, from its founding until the present.

More than 70 universities from 20 different countries have participated in student exchange programs that Chung Ang University has actively promoted. 

There are currently around 30,000 undergraduate students, 700 professors, and 500 teachers and staff members. As chosen by Korean students, the school is thought to have the best learning environment. The institution has criteria for scholarships that apply each year to help students.

10 member universities and 16 graduate schools make up Chung Ang University, which has two campuses. The Han River, which serves as Seoul’s emblem, is immediately next to the main campus. About 80 kilometers from Seoul, in the province of Gyeonggi, you’ll find the Anseong campus.

The school is also renowned for producing well-known actors like Kang Ha Neul, Kim Soo Hyun, Shin Se Kyung, Seungri from Big Bang, Yuri and Soo Young from SNSD, Luna from F(x), Park Jihoon from WANNA ONE, and others. And other well-known Korean dramas, like “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho,” “Alice,” etc., are also filmed here.

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4. Seoul National University

In addition to Korea University and Yonsei University, Seoul National University is one of Korea’s most prestigious public universities today. 

It is ranked first among the top three SKY schools in the country. In particular, they feel that if they can enroll in Seoul National University, their fate has “turned to another page.” Koreans believe that college is the door that determines their entire existence. 

With extraordinarily high entry scores, Seoul National University is a sought-after school for all Korean students. With 24 associated schools, Seoul National University enrolls more than 30,000 students each year. 

Seoul National University features one of Korea’s top performing arts departments and is well-known for its economics, commerce, and medicine departments. You must study for the performance exam to enroll in SNU College of Fine Art. 

Numerous Korean celebrities, such as Lee Sang Yoon, Kim Tae Hee, Lee Soon Jae, Jung Jin Young, etc., have graduated from this esteemed institution.

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5. Sungkyunkwan University 

Since its founding in 1398, Sungkyunkwan University has been a significant hub for Joseon education. It was established as the first Korean university in 1894. 

The school was reconstructed in the same location in 1946 after the Japanese invasion overthrew the Joseon Dynasty. Since that time, Sungkyunkwan University has been classified as a private institution. 

The institution currently has two campuses, the primary one being the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities campus, which is situated in the center of Seoul. The Faculty of Natural Sciences is located on a university site in Suwon, 45 minutes by bus or 1 hour by metro from the main campus. 

Sungkyunkwan, one of Korea’s top universities with a history spanning more than 600 years, has state-of-the-art facilities to support teaching and research by students. The Samsung firm also made a significant investment in the institution.

Sungkyunkwan University is well-known for its extensive history and the caliber of its academic programs. 

Because it has produced numerous well-known idols in the Korean entertainment business, including Song Joong Ki, Moon Geun Young, Bae Yong Joon, Cha Seung Won, and Goo Hye Sun, this university is also referred to as the “school of stars.” They are all cult stars who significantly impact the Korean entertainment scene.

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6. Seoul Foreign School

Drama, music, and visual arts are part of the SFS Arts program. These programs are provided in extracurricular programs and curriculum frameworks integrated into the school day.

In addition to more than ten other small- to medium-sized shows, the drama program annually delivers large-scale, multi-performance productions to the SFS community and general public. 

Although COVID-19 has presented new difficulties for students and teachers, SFS’s dramatic arts program is still strong.

The ability to play as an actor, builder, technician, or stage crew is available to students as young as nine. Courses that establish the groundwork for these abilities support these works. 

High school students participating in Crusader Live, the distinctive student production staff program, can further develop their skills.

Through high school, students acquire practical abilities in characterization, blocking, stage design, and directing, as well as knowledge of the history and methods of theater.

MYP Students in Grades 6–8 who take theater in middle school get the chance to learn more about the dramatic arts. Each year, students learn about the work of theatrical theorists, participate in production and performance activities, and have the chance to perform. 

The guiding philosophy that enables all students to connect with theater practically and thrillingly is learning and creating via play.

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7. Yonsei University-College of Liberal Arts

The rapid advancement of information technology and the emergence of new media have significantly impacted how cultural material is produced.

Notably, the new computer-based digital world creates new communication spaces.

The Institute of Media Art was founded to analyze cultural phenomena resulting from high-tech media and develop new media art disciplines.

Research Areas of the school include:

1) Media aesthetics

The institute studies visual media, including movies, TV, video, computer, multimedia, animation, game, photograph, advertisements, cyberculture, etc.

2) Image Education

The institute develops Image Education programs for lectures and provides training to professors.

3) Studies on Korean Movies

The institute performs research on Korean movies from an aesthetic point of view.

4) Culture Criticism and Designing

The institute creates a new humanistic paradigm through various and in-depth cultural criticism and designing cultural events.

5) Digitization of Cultural Heritage

The institute digitalizes tangible and intangible cultural heritages and services to the public.

The school’s main projects include:

  • Carrying out media arts research initiatives.
  • Publishing research findings and holding lectures about them
  • Creating and implementing the program for image education
  • Korean cultural heritage digitization
  • Establishing national media arts policy and collaborating with it
  • Building the foundation of Korean cinema via experimental and art film efforts.

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8. Korean Academy of Film Arts

Since 1984, KAFA has provided undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in directing, cinematography, production, and animation in Seoul, South Korea.

On-campus continuing Education is offered to returning professionals and comprises seminars, practical practice, and new research.

One of the top film schools in Asia, KAFA only accepts a select number of students for each program.

To aid in the growth of the Korean Film Academy, the Korea Film Academy Development Fund was founded in 2006. 

They offer financial aid for production, intellectual, and artistic endeavors and scholarships for students attending the Korean Academy of Film Arts, which has fostered Korean cinematic talent for decades.

Additionally, they support the institution’s growth by overseeing the copyrights for the Korean Academy of Film Arts’ regular and feature-length courses.

The Korea Film Academy Development Fund also runs a support group, cultivates the future generation of Korean filmmakers, and offers cost processing or tax discounts for donations.

The Korea Film Academy Development Fund seeks to become a recognized partner of the Korean Academy of Film Arts by supporting individuals who have the potential to advance Korean cinema.

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9. Hanyang University

The number of alums from our institution among middle-sized artists playing good roles in theater, film, and other related sectors is exceptionally high and distinguished, which speaks to the educational successes of the theater and film chemistry major. 

With an educational objective to produce future-focused artists who investigate universal issues for humanity, they are doing their best.

The ratio of university graduates who are middle-level artists who excel in theater, film, and other related fields is noticeably higher. It distinguishes the educational achievements of the theater and film studies major. 

It is also evident that people and art, the nation and society, are constantly improving. The school is doing its best with the educational objective of developing future-focused artists who investigate universal issues for humanity.

A career in professional dancing, dance instruction, choreography, dance administration, dance therapy, or movement analysis is possible for those who take this course.

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10. Dongguk University

One of the most well-known universities in Korea is Dongguk University’s theater department. 

They offer a dynamic and imaginative atmosphere where students may hone their acting, directing, design, and technical production talents while learning about theater’s history, criticism, and dramatic literature. 

By emphasizing the acquisition of skills, processes, and knowledge required to operate professionally in both academic and professional theatrical environments, the curriculum enables students to achieve the broad basis of knowledge they need as theater artists. 

The course emphasizes both skill development and the particular aesthetic growth of each student. The following are the program’s goals.

– Providing instruction in the fundamental methods needed for students to build a thorough understanding of theater and music, including literature and practice.

– To provide students with a broad liberal arts education while also providing academic and professional training in the arts of acting, singing, directing, dancing, scenic design, design and technical production, theater administration, and theater history and philosophy.

– To provide the best educational opportunity for tomorrow’s adaptable and self-sufficient theater artists.

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What are the Film Schools in South Korea for International Students?

Are you an international student looking for film schools that accept international students in South Korea? There are few film schools for international students in South Korea. They include:

  • Korea National University of Arts
  • Seoul Foreign School
  • Seoul National University

What are the Film Making Courses in South Korea?

The Film making courses in South Korea are as follows:

  • Visual Narrative 1&2
  • Camera technique basics
  • Visual Art History
  • Post-production of Photography 
  • Photography 1&2
  • Chinese Basics
  • Society Study
  • Editing
  • Cultural Comparison
  • Basic Cinematography
  • Lighting Basics
  • Film History
  • Basic Screenwriting 
  • Film Sound
  • Documentary Film Production
  • Chinese Culture and Language 1&2
  • Advanced CGI training
  • Thesis Film making
  • Directing
  • Digital Image technique etc

Conclusion

We have discussed the top ten best acting schools in South Korea. Many people dream of getting a chance to learn at schools, but only highly talented people can get the opportunity.

Reading the above information gives you a clear idea of the best school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I study acting in Korea?

Yes you can

Which university is best for acting in South Korea?

Korea National University of Arts

Is South Korea good for acting?

South Korea is known for K-pop and its high-quality movies and dramas starring South Korean actors and actresses.

Who is the No. 1 actor in Korea?

Lee Min Ho

References

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