Imfrog

Hellena Jang encountered improv through Seoul City Improv, the expatriate-founded English-language troupe, and trained extensively with North American improv schools and communities before returning to Seoul to build a Korean-language practice. In 2014 she left full-time employment to pursue improv professionally and founded both imFrog and Korea's first improv school taught in Korean. The decision to perform in Korean rather than English was itself a significant step, as the Seoul improv scene had been dominated by English-language groups serving the expat community. Jang has become a recognized figure in the global improv community, participating in international panels and podcasts on the globalization of improvisation.

imFrog performs in Korean, grounding its work in the emotional and cultural registers of Korean language and everyday life rather than transposing a foreign comedic idiom. Jang's background in both North American improv traditions and applied improv informs the ensemble's approach, which combines emotionally engaged scene work with a commitment to accessibility for Korean-speaking audiences. The group's existence has been as much a cultural argument as a performance practice, asserting that improv is a form that belongs to Korean speakers on their own terms.