This study aims to deeply compare and analyze the expressive techniques found in Korean and Chinese “media theater” works that are evolving in the rapidly changing digital media environment, thereby shedding light on the trends and characteristics...
This study aims to deeply compare and analyze the expressive techniques found in Korean and Chinese “media theater” works that are evolving in the rapidly changing digital media environment, thereby shedding light on the trends and characteristics of the development of media theater in both countries from various perspectives. At a time when media theater is transcending the formal boundaries of traditional theater and creating new performance styles through the fusion of video and digital technologies, exploring how the cultural backgrounds, technological development paths, and aesthetic perspectives of the two countries manifest in expressive techniques is a crucial academic task for the study of East Asian media arts.
The study selected 15 representative Korean and Chinese media plays produced between 2010 and 2024 as its main analysis subjects, and built and applied a “three-dimensional dynamic comparative model” centered on two key dimensions: “video space composition” and “media remediation.”As a research methodology, the core concepts of ‘media theater,’ ‘video space,’ and ‘media remediation’ were theoretically established through a literature review method, while the depth of analysis was increased by utilizing a multi-layered theoretical framework. Furthermore, by comprehensively utilizing case comparative analysis, cross-cultural research, and descriptive ethnography, we conducted a systematic and empirical analysis that moved from superficial phenomena to deep essence.
The analysis results show that Korean media theater tends to pursue ‘experimental expansion of artistic boundaries’ and utilize media technology as a tool for ‘pioneering exploration’ that fundamentally challenges traditional performance forms and creative logic. This represents an attempt to create a new interactive environment that breaks down the barriers between stage and audience, maximizing audience participation through active integration with virtual reality (VR) technology. Korean media theater recognizes technology as a source of artistic innovation, instilling "bold experimentation" and focusing on "personal expression" and "micro-discourse," emphasizing individual emotional experiences and subjectivity. This is linked to Korea's tendency to prioritize "technology as the mainstay of art," where technology serves as a core driving force behind art. In contrast, Chinese media theater aims to "modernize traditional culture" and, approaching media technology from an "instrumental rationality" perspective, utilizes it as a means to support content expression and cultural transmission. Chinese works, grounded in the traditional aesthetic of "the unity of heaven and man," avoid excessive technological intervention and instead strive to build a "holistic mise-en-scène" through the organic integration of stage, actor performance, and visuals. Furthermore, they prioritize preserving and conveying cultural values through "collective narratives" and "grand discourses," a strategy deeply connected to China's development strategy, where technology serves as a medium for cultural transmission.
Through this comparative analysis, we clearly presented the similarities (strengthening technological capabilities, modernizing culture, etc.) and differences (technology application perspectives, cultural expression logic, industrial operation methods, etc.) between the two countries' media theaters, and derived strategic implications for how Korea's "technological innovation power" and China's "cultural inherent power" can develop into a mutually complementary relationship. Ultimately, this study is expected to provide a theoretical foundation that can contribute to building a future-oriented media performance paradigm that possesses both cultural depth and innovation, beyond the convergence of technology and art.