Theater director Koo Ja-ha becomes first Asian, youngest winner of Intern...

Theater director Koo Ja-ha becomes first Asian, youngest winner of International Ibsen Award

Published: 21 Mar. 2026, 10:51

Theater director and composer Koo Ja-ha [NEWS1]

Director and composer Koo Ja-ha has been named the recipient of the International Ibsen Award 2026, becoming the first Asian and the youngest winner in the leading theater prize's history, the Embassy of Norway announced on Friday.

Established by the Norwegian government in 2007 to honor the legacy of renowned playwright Henrik Ibsen, the International Ibsen Award is awarded biennially to an individual, institution or organization that has introduced new artistic dimensions to the field of theater.

Koo, a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts’ School of Drama, completed a master’s degree in contemporary theater directing at the Amsterdam University of the Arts in the Netherlands. He has since been active primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium, directing works such as "Haribo Kimchi" (2024), "Cuckoo" (2017) and "The History of Korean Western Theatre" (2020). His works explore how colonial histories and global power structures grapple contemporary institutions, human perception and artistic structures.

"In a world where bigger and louder are often equated with best and usually lauded, Jaha presents alternative ways of seeing the world. He eschews the loud and the bombastic in favour of the intimate, the delicate and the small: almost akin to an elegant chamber orchestra, but often providing sharp socio-political critique and expansive reflections on identity, displacement, and the erosion of democracy," the jury states on the award's official website.

The award ceremony is slated to take place on Sept. 26 on the main stage of the National Theatre in Oslo. Koo’s production Cuckoo will be performed at the same venue on Sept. 27.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

HA NAM-HYUN [

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