The Korean Theater in Almaty is the oldest national cultural institution operating outside the Korean Peninsula. Formed in 1932 in Vladivostok, five years later it ended up because of the deportation of Koreans from the Far East to the city of Kzyl-Orda. Its history no longer represents a tabula rasa, but the background of its origin remains little known. At the beginning of the 20th century, a layer of Korean creative intelligentsia lived in Vladivostok, forming amateur theater circles. In the 1920s, the Soviet government actively supported the development of national cultures in the Far East, including Korean. Amateur theater groups staged both Korean folk theatrical performances and works of Soviet socialist realism. Politically engaged leaders of Korean drama circles have promoted the ideas of national independence from Japanese colonial rule. In the 1930s, many Korean theater groups operated in the Soviet Far East, staging plays in Korean and Russian.

The article, based on the use of new sources, provides an analysis of the amateur theatrical art of Soviet Koreans in the Far East, characterizes the main genres of creativity, notes the iconic figures of the founders and leaders of theater circles, reveals mistakes, excesses and problems during the formation of the Korean theater.