Meta Comedy to hold first R-rated comedy performances at Sejong Center

Comedy management agency Meta Comedy will hold an R-rated comedy gig at central Seoul's Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, marking the first-ever adults-only comedy show to be held at a public theater.

Comedians Lee Jae-yul, far left and Meta Comedy CEO Joon Chung, far right, pose with comedians Kim Dong-ha, second from left, Danny Cho, center, and Kwak Beom for the press on the July 15 at the Meta Comedy Club Hongdae in Hongdae, Mapo District, western Seoul. [META COMEDY]

Comedy management agency Meta Comedy will hold an R-rated comedy gig at central Seoul's Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, marking the first-ever adults-only comedy show to be held at a public theater.

Meta Comedy's show, "Comedy Assemble," will run for a total of four performances from Aug. 15 to 17 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno District, central Seoul. The show intends to include bold humor on topics like politics, religion and sex, and will thus only be open to people born in 2005 or earlier.

Meta Comedy is a comedy management agency founded in 2021, specializing in YouTube comedy and stand-up shows. Multiple comedians from the company will put on different performances, ranging from solo stand-up shows to scripted gigs.

Comedy duo Bbangsongguk, known for its fake K-pop boy band Mad Monster, along with other comedy teams, Snacktown, Yoo’s Desk, Bodda and more, will perform on Aug. 15. Korean-American comedian Danny Cho will be joined by comedians Kim Dong-ha, Song Ha-bin, Lee Je-gyu and more for stand-up performances on Aug. 16 and 17.

“We want to showcase the diversity of comedy by introducing both the stand-up genre from abroad and the Korean traditional comic storytelling genre,” said Meta Comedy CEO Joon Chung on Monday at the agency's dedicated performance venue, Meta Comedy Club Hongdae, in Mapo District, western Seoul.

Meta Comedy gained attention last year with the Netflix comedy program "Comedy Royale.”

“I created the company because I wanted to show how fun comedy can be,” said Chung. The CEO described Meta Comedy Club Hongdae as an “R&D center” where “new faces and jokes emerge.”

“We feel that Koreans have a DNA for enjoying comic storytelling, which we sense every week through our performances,” said comedian Lee Jae-youl of the comedy duo Snacktown.

Bbangsongguk said they are preparing a comic storytelling performance “inspired by the spirit of King Sejong” to align with Liberation Day and the nearby Gwanghwamun Square.

As humor becomes edgier, the risk of causing offense has also increased. Meta Comedy’s team Psick Univ received the Best Entertainment Program award at last year’s Baeksang Arts Awards with its web entertainment series Psick Show, but the team came under fire earlier this year for insulting Yeongyang County in a YouTube video.

“This is, in some ways, the nature of comedy,” said Chung. “We may continue to make mistakes and cause discomfort. Deciding our philosophy and direction is something we will keep pondering.”

For “Comedy Assemble,” alcohol consumption is allowed for first-floor audience members. All attendees must bring identification.

BY NA WON-JEONG, KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]