[Arts & Culture] From Seoul to Broadway: How “Maybe Happy Ending” made Tony history

It's Friday, which means it's time for Arts and Culture.

We have our culture correspondent Choi Soo-hyung in the studio.

Welcome Soo-hyung!

Thank you for having me!

I'm excited to see what your first feature report is all about.

You lead the way.

You and I already knew that earlier this week, the Korean original musical, "Maybe Happy Ending," swept this year's Tony Awards.

This is one of the most prestigious musical theater awards, and its wins prove the strength of Korean musicals.

So I asked an expert about the factors behind its success, and what this could mean for the future of Korean musicals.

Here's the full story.

On June 9th, in New York City, the Korean original musical "Maybe Happy Ending" became the star of the 78th Tony Awards.

The musical won in 6 of the 10 categories it received nominations for, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.

"So many people worked hard with us for a long time. Seeing how happy they are now makes me feel incredibly proud. A lot of us poured our hearts into this project and gave it everything. That's one thing I can say with confidence."

Experts say the wins were significant, as the musical succeeded without being a Hollywood-style blockbuster or based on a classic original story, both typical Broadway favorites.

"'Maybe Happy Ending' isn't a typical Broadway show; it's not based on a classic story, nor is it a big-budget blockbuster. It's an original, unique, low-budget, and new direction for a Korean musical, especially as it is set in a future Seoul. That's why its success is so meaningful, it took major honors like Best Musical, Best Direction, and Best Book, winning 6 Tonys."

The professor also noted that the musical's focus on the love between Artificial Intelligence robots reflects a philosophical advancement, adding significant value to its writing.

"Hollywood usually focuses on AI and robots in terms of identity, like 'Am I human?' But Maybe Happy Ending goes further by exploring love between AI robots, which is a more advanced philosophical theme. It blends universal emotions with Korean originality, creating a fresh musical model. By breaking away from familiar formulas, it showed that bold, emotional storytelling can succeed globally."

He stressed that what makes Korean content globally recognized is its deep cultural receptivity, not as a melting pot nor a salad bowl, but through a unique stage of fermentation.

"1995 was the year Windows 95 launched, and soon after, Korea's high-speed internet network opened the door to global content, which today's creators grew up with. No other East Asian country absorbed global trends and universal values through content as freely as Korea did. Now, 30 years later, K-culture is in its fermentation stage and bursting out, creating something truly unique."

He said current hits are fine, but Korean content should focus on diversity rooted in humanism, rather than simply following Western formulas for success.

Looks fascinating.

From what I'm hearing, it seems like the usual formulas for renowned global award winners are starting to break down these days.

Do you think the trends in award selections are changing? And does Broadway need to embrace this kind of change?

I wouldn't say the entire trend has changed, but in more depth, the professor said even Broadway itself is hitting a wall.

Most of the major classics have already been used, so they're running out of material.

In that sense, "Maybe Happy Ending" is significant because it presents a new breakthrough, bringing a brand-new, fresh model for Broadway to follow.

And this doesn't just apply to this show.

Think about Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" or Han Kang's "Human Acts."

It's not so much that the awards' standards have changed, it's more that Korean trends have already become global trends.

With the Oscars, Nobel Prize in Literature, and now the Tony Awards, it seems Korea is setting major milestones across diverse cultural fields.

Is the 30-year "fermentation stage" that the professor mentioned the key to Korean content's success?

South Korea is very audience-friendly with a strong bottom-up approach putting people first.

Creators listen carefully to what people want and follow the tastes and trends of their audience.

The professor said that if "Maybe Happy Ending" had been too full of heavy philosophical messages, it probably wouldn't have won the awards.

In places like Broadway or Hollywood, they prefer even if the theme is deep, about 95 percent of the content to still be fun and entertaining.

Because in the end, it has to be chosen by the audience.

"Maybe Happy Ending" also started gaining attention through word of mouth via social media.

And many other Korean content creators naturally follow that balance.

All right, Soo-hyung, thanks for coming in today.

I'll be looking forward to every Friday for the culture segment with you.

My pleasure.