Can K-musicals take the next big step and hit the international stage?

Park Hyo-shin in the musical 'The Man Who Laughs', based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name. Photo: EMK Muscial Company

Compared to Broadway and the West End, which have become synonymous with musicals, South Korea’s musical industry remains small and stagnant at about 400 billion won (RM1.4bil) a year.

However, experts here said that Asia’s fourth-largest economy has developed musicals with its own distinct characters and hosts a unique audience and holds great potential, but only if it overcomes a myriad of challenges.