Family magic show in Incheon where kids join every act: Back to Joseon

I'm sure lots of parents wonder where to go with the kids every weekend. I'm the same, always hunting for shows to see with my second-grade son. We've seen science magic shows, children's musicals, interactive shows and more. But the one we saw recently, magician JT's Back to Joseon, had a different kind of charm from all the kids' shows we'd seen before.

Honestly, before going I figured it would be "a kids' magic show with a Joseon-dynasty theme" and not much more, but it turned out to be a much more serious magic show than I expected. Not just my son, I was glued to it the whole time too. Here's my honest review of the magic show at Incheon Children's Science Museum, magician JT's Back to Joseon.

Show info: magician JT's Back to Joseon

Back to Joseon is held on the 1st floor of Incheon Children's Science Museum, 21 Bangchuk-ro, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. It runs from June 7 to July 19, 2026, once a day every Sunday at 2 p.m., for 60 minutes.

What time should you arrive for front-row seats?

There are no assigned seats. Tickets are issued in order of arrival and you choose your seat then, so if you want the front, I'd get to Incheon Children's Science Museum around 1 p.m. at the latest. The 2 p.m. show we saw was sold out, and even though we arrived 30 minutes early, we ended up mostly in the back, which was a shame.

The hall starts filling up earlier than you'd think. Plenty of people visit the museum and then catch the show. I figured I could take it easy, but lots of families were already lined up, and the competition for front seats was fiercer than I expected! For a show that only runs once a week to be packed like this, you can really tell how popular it is.

So if you want the front, I recommend arriving a bit early rather than right at start time. If you're going with kids, the front seats will definitely be more satisfying. Since it's an interactive show, the closer to the stage, the more immersive it is. Reservations are a must!

Joseon theme: a magic show that opens with traditional games

As the title suggests, Back to Joseon is set in the Joseon dynasty, and it opens with traditional games like plate spinning and tuho (a traditional arrow-throwing game) plus skill performances. It's not just costumes in Joseon style; the whole flow of the show blends in Korean traditional elements naturally, which I found impressive.

The opening traditional-game performance does a great job of getting kids focused from the start. Kids are called up on stage from the plate-spinning act onward, so their reactions and attention shoot up. During the plate spinning especially, you could hear "Wow!" from all over the audience, and the kids watched the stage with sparkling eyes. I also liked that traditional games, which kids today rarely get to try, were worked into the show so naturally.

The real strength of Back to Joseon: audience participation

Personally, the biggest plus of Back to Joseon was the audience participation. In almost every act, kids go up on stage or join in from their seats, and there's a segment where parents take part too.

You know how a lot of shows that advertise themselves as kids' shows only bring kids on stage once or twice? Back to Joseon really does include audience participation in almost every act. Kids go up on stage and help with the magic, and there are constant moments to join in from the seats. There's even a time for parents to take part, so it felt like making the show together with my child. Maybe that's why there was no room for attention to drift the whole time.

If you succeed in taking part and get a yeopjeon (a traditional Korean coin), you receive a magic prop as a gift on your way out. Actually, even if you don't get a coin, the host runs things so that everyone can receive one at the end.

Even elementary school kids usually start squirming or getting distracted when a show runs long, but my son kept his eyes on the stage until the end. He even asked why the show was so short! Everyone stays focused, maybe because of the hope that "maybe I'll get picked next time!"

Big illusions that surprised the adults too

Back to Joseon features large-scale magic like a head-separation trick using a jakdu (a traditional straw-cutting blade), a teleportation trick with a big barrel, and levitation. Honestly, before the show I expected a light magic show for kids.

But the tricks that actually appeared were far bigger in scale than I expected. If anything, I think I was more amazed than the kids, as an adult.

The scene I remember most was the head-separation trick with the jakdu. Even watching it right in front of me, I had no idea how it was possible. There were plenty of startled reactions from the audience too. (The kids were truly amazed!!) The teleportation trick, where a person goes into a big barrel and suddenly appears somewhere else, was impressive too.

The levitation in the middle of the show especially still sticks with me. A person who went into the barrel floated up as if ignoring gravity, and even watching up close I couldn't work out the principle at all. Of all the kids' magic shows we've seen, this gave me the strongest "that's real magic" feeling.

How did my second-grader react?

After seeing Back to Joseon, my second-grade son kept talking about the magic on the way home and for a long while after we got home.

• "Mom, how did they actually do that?"
• "Why did the person suddenly come out over there?"
• "Why wasn't the head cut off?"

The questions never stopped. Usually kids talk about a show for a bit and that's it, but this time he kept talking about it at home for a long while. I guess that means it was a memorable show.

Verdict: a family magic show that doesn't bore the parents

I've seen plenty of kids' shows so far, but Back to Joseon was definitely one of the memorable ones. The unique Joseon theme, a structure that draws kids into participating, and big illusions of higher quality than I expected. The biggest plus is that it's not a show only kids enjoy; parents can be amazed and absorbed too.

I was especially satisfied because, even though it's a kids' show, there were many moments when the adults gasped even louder. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a special weekend with their kids, and to parents looking for a family show that isn't boring for them.

A show we went to for the kid, and the parent came out even more amazed: magician JT's Back to Joseon.