In its relatively short twenty-year history in South Korea, music therapy has seen a meteoric rise in popularity and momentum in formal education. This paper highlights important facets of the success of the field in transitioning from having no presence in Korea to establishing networks on a global scale. Some of these key features include the origin of the introduction of music therapy to Korea, as well as the cultural permeance that led the discipline to adopt rigorous academic ideologies and career-focused pathways. Serving as a case study for the successful development of a nascent field in an international setting, this paper explores the strengths and complications that have arisen throughout the development of music therapy in Korea and offers lessons and strategies for the introduction of other such programs in Korea and beyond.