The Popular Transformation and Artistic Leap of Magic through Storytelling: Focusing on the Magic TV Program The Magic Star

This study analyzes South Korea’s first magic audition TV program, The Magic Star, to examine how storytelling transforms public perceptions of magic and magicians while establishing magic as a comprehensive art form. Aired on SBS from June 1 to July 20, 2024 under the slogan “Innovation in Magic”, the program introduced internationally acclaimed magicians. Focusing on individual storytelling and employing Dan McAdams’s narrative identity theory, the analysis reveals that magicians shared personal narratives with viewers, forming a narrative community that redefined them as creative artists. This organic integration of storytelling and audiovisual elements not only elevated the art of magic but also fostered social bonds and emotional resonance between performers and audiences, thereby expanding magic’s artistic boundaries and redefining the value of performance.