Students at Seoul Institute of the Arts have their bases covered

K-campus

Published: 11 Apr. 2022, 18:30 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 17:34

Students at Seoul Institute of the Arts have their bases covered

A dancer, left, performs "Invisible Touch" in a studio set up with extended reality (ER) technology with Seoul Institute of the Arts' Culture Hub program. [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

With Korean entertainment of all types quickly gaining traction internationally, more and more young people dreaming of making it big are now looking to Korea for their education and training. The Korea JoongAng Daily's new series "School of Hallyu" will help guide aspiring students by introducing colleges and private academies that provide the training they need.

To Chinese high schooler Chen Zhuo, seeing comedian and M.C. Yu Jae-seok on Korean entertainment program “Running Man” was more than just a way to pass the time.

Chen had been thinking about making acting her career. The path to the school Yu attended, Seoul Institute of the Arts, seemed too narrow to pass at the time, but now, after a couple of years, she proudly calls it her own.

“I now have a dream that I can make opportunities for myself as long as I try my best to refine my acting,” said 24-year-old Chen, now a junior at Seoul Institute of the Arts. “As I see many foreigners being part of hit idol groups, I was sure that Korea knows how to [embrace people from different cultures] and that I could find my chance to make my name known as an actor someday.”

Chen, who speaks Korean fluently, is one of the 19 international students currently studying at Seoul Institute of the Arts, one of the major art schools whose alumni includes a countless number of celebrities in the entertainment scene including actors Jeon Do-yeon, Son Ye-jin, Cha Tae-hyun and entertainer Moon Hee-jun, as well as directors Jang Jin and Kim Jee-woon. The ones who entered the school around 1990 are currently some of the most wanted acts in the creative industry, especially for acting roles, and the school now calls those years its “golden years.” That was also when the school established its basic educational system that contributed to the school's current fame, according to professors and graduates of the institute.

Seoul Institute of the Arts, located in Gyeonggi's Ansan [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

The school celebrates its 60th anniversary this year on April 12. To celebrate its anniversary and to highlight how the institute's talents were trained during its golden years, Seoul Institute of the Arts is preparing to make a drama named, tentatively, “Seoul Yejeon” to be released in the second half of this year. The fictional stories told throughout the drama will depict the campus life of now top-class entertainment performers and directors who never could have imagined what the future had in store for them.

A dancer's performance is made with technology through a collaboration of experts in the United States, Italy and Indonesia. [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

“The institute, since its establishment, has focused on recreating the artistic spirit handed down to the present. […] We have been working to introduce new forms of art by combining art with technology in order to differentiate our education from other schools and globalize our school,” said Seoul Institute of the Arts President Lee Nam-sik.

To reach their goals, the school plans to help students create on campus and learn through the process, instead of just giving lectures, so they can later use those skills to create something even after they finish their schooling. To inspire and involve current students and graduates, the institute plans to make more visual art in different forms and hold art exhibitions intertwined with digital technology.

With the shift to go global, it also has plans to appeal to potential students abroad. After welcoming its very first international student in 2000, it saw 32 international students apply for this year’s academic program, the largest number the school has seen yet. The number of admitted students, 14, is also the highest so far. While still a stark minority compared to the entire freshmen class of over 4,000, the number of both applicants and accepted students from the overseas over the past 10 years has continued to rise, minus the bump in last year's numbers when the global pandemic kept many potential students from traveling.

There are two campuses, one in Gyeonggi’s Ansan and one near Mount Namsan in central Seoul. All academic classes and programs are offered in Ansan, and the campus in Seoul is used for performances and alumni gatherings.

While K-pop's global reach, largely due to groups such as BTS, Big Bang, Blackpink, Girls’ Generation and Super Junior, started around 2005, the Korean filming scene was a bit slower but has also started to get names of Korean talents out in the global entertainment industry.

As such, the number of students majoring in acting has been going up, according to acting professor at Seoul Institute of the Arts, Kim Ji-young, especially in the past couple of years. The global recognition of films “Minari” (2020) and “Parasite” (2019) and Netflix show “Squid Game” have also added to the growing popularity of the major in Korea. The Netflix series showcased Korean talents, of course, but also Indian actor Anupam Tripathi who studied and worked in Korea.

Sophomores and juniors majoring in theatre at Seoul Institute of the Arts put together their version of the musical "Rent" in November. [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

Acting was the major chosen by the largest number of international students, with music following in second. And those who chose acting can learn the different types of acting, be it for TV dramas, films, plays or producing creative content for actors.

“If you look at the trend over the past 10 years, fostering talents specialized in only one area of acting was popular,” said Prof. Kim.

“However, now the industry wants their talents to be able to act in any situation. To understand the overall production process, our school system exposes students to acting for plays, musicals, films and TV shows, and works with future technicians in class or in on-campus activities — this has been popular among both local and international students.”

The school also trains students for one-person productions so that they can film and edit their own videos.

“So-called K-content, which started as K-pop and continued over to K-drama and K-film, can be made by any student, including international students, as long as they understand what works in the global market and what the ongoing trend is,” Kim said. “Our school has trained many Hallyu stars that work in front of the camera and behind the camera, so students are proud to be part of the school’s legacy and feel a sense of belonging.”

The school emphasizes its Culture Hub program, which started 14 years ago and offers online lectures from talents currently living overseas and also enables students in Korea to practice acting with students overseas online. Some Culture Hub programs are done in English, which international students find themselves more comfortable with. Professionals in the United States, Indonesia and Italy are part of the Culture Hub program. By collaborating with students and lecturers in those countries, some local students enter overseas competitions and even win accolades.

Those who excel in class can find ways to earn scholarships to pay for tuition. Senior Michael Eka Gomez of Indonesia, who has been majoring in acting ever since he started his education at the school, has never missed a chance to get some financial help. He usually gets enough to pay for about 50 percent of his tuition.

“Initially, I planned on going to the United States thinking that Hollywood would give me more opportunities, but with Korea making more dramas and movies, I started to think that I would be able to find a chance to make it work in Korea,” Gomez said.

“Many of the professors and fellow students help me with academic work and some monetary issues I had as I come from overseas, so that I can do well at school and earn scholarships.”

Even outside of the classroom, students find time to further nurture their skills by getting involved with school clubs, called dongari. Some of the school's alumni such as Song Eun-yi or Ra Mi-ran have said in media interviews that being part of a dongari really added to their campus life, according to Yoon Chi-ho, the school’s administrative team. There are currently 25 dongari that specialize in either music, comedy, acting, plays, theater history or religion.

Students and graduates of Seoul Institute of the Arts make a talk concert as part of YouTube channel Gyeonggi Music run by Gyeonggi Contents Agency. [SEOUL INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS]

“These dongari give students more chances to experience the real deal, outside of the classroom,” said Yoon.

On April 14, all clubs will hold a fair to present their gigs and recruit new members. Most students won't have any trouble joining, unless too many apply for the same one. Different from other schools' clubs, dongari here have professors to guide their extracurricular work. About 50 percent of enrolled students join one or two of these clubs, according to Cho Un-yong, an honorary president of the school's alumni association and a former professor who worked with these clubs.

“Many students use this chance to explore fields that they are not majoring in,” said Cho, adding that some call their dongari their second major, albeit unofficially. “Those majoring in acting or music can explore whether they have the aptitude for comedy through such clubs.”

Given that some international students hope to build their career in Korea, the school this year opened a new service to help them find a job to stay in Korea even after they graduate. It also added a new mentor program for international students and gathered testimonies from both Korean and international students who had gone through the process already.

“For graduating students, having a great portfolio to submit is important,” said Park Kkot-yi, staff of the school’s international relations team. “We plan on inviting international talents currently working in Korea for a lecture so that our students can learn what they need to show first when applying for jobs.”

“As great as it is having these students come to Korea for their education, we think it is important to work with them so that they can finish their studies and find a job to take the first step toward building their career. That’s what Seoul Institute of the Arts does by keeping a close connection with its alumni.”

BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]