[Arts&Culture] Korean musical theater reaches the world:19th DIMF

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

We have our culture correspondent Byeon Ye-young in the studio.

Welcome, Ye-young!

Thank you for having me.

So, Ye-young, what do you have for us today?

I recently went to Daegu for the 19th Daegu International Musical Festival, which is Korea's largest musical festival.

Even though the weather was really hot, what I saw and experienced there made the trip completely worth it.

Let's take a look together.

This summer, Daegu once again transforms into a stage.

Korea's largest musical festival, The Daegu International Musical Festival, or DIMF, brings creators and audiences together from all over.

This year, showcasing 29 musicals from home and abroad.

"The dress rehearsal for this year's closing performance, Panda, is about to begin. This Chinese production blends dazzling acrobatics with traditional martial arts, a real treat for the eyes."

A visual and musical spectacle, Panda tells a heartfelt story about love, coexistence, and the care we owe to nature.

It's a piece that's beloved by Korean audiences.

This reading performance, part of DIMF's musical incubation program, offers young talents a rare chance to present their work.

Some pieces even go on to become full-scale productions with funding and support.

"I received a lot of overall support from DIMF throughout the production process.

But what helped me the most was getting direct feedback from the mentor instructors.

That was incredibly helpful in developing and improving the piece."

"I think the best part of this program is getting to meet great creators, working alongside talented actors, and simply having opportunities like this. For actors like me, that's one of the most valuable aspects."

With global success stories like Maybe Happy Ending, DIMF is more than just a festival.

"As DIMF approaches its 20th anniversary next year, our hope is that musical fans from around the world will come to Daegu. To make that happen, we believe it's essential to connect the festival with tourism.

Our goal, and also our challenge, is to grow DIMF into a truly global musical festival."

It's a symbol of what's possible for Korea's creative industry.

Now, to my understanding, this year's DIMF has garnered more interest than ever before because of a Korean musical that swept the Tony awards.

Could you tell us more about that?

Of course, this year's festival was quite auspicious because it comes after the Korean musical, "Maybe Happy Ending," won Tony awards in six categories, including Best Musical.

And the roots of that triumph?

They trace back to this very festival.

Composer Will Aronson and writer Park Chun-hue actually first met through a different project called "Bungee Jump" at the DIMF in 2012.

They must have had good chemistry, because "Bungee Jump" was met with very good reviews.

They later collaborated again and created "Maybe Happy Ending."

Like this, DIMF acts as a place to foster new relationships and create amazing pieces together.

People are on the hunt for the next big show.

Exactly what kind of support does DIMF provide to young talent, so that the next "Maybe Happy Ending" might be made?

The reading performances that we saw in the video were part of the musical incubation program, which offers young talent mentorship and funding to put their creations on stage.

Without stage props and costumes, it allows the viewer to focus solely on the storyline, which is the core of any musical.

These performances seemed to be well-received by the audience.

Five student pieces were put on stage, and if any of them are well-received by investors, they can receive funding and later be premiered at DIMF as a "creative support musical," which is how the writer and the composer of "Maybe Happy Ending" met.

"In 2008, a composer named Aronson had his work 'My Scary Girl' selected for creative support through DIMF. The following year, we even staged it in New York as part of DIMF's outreach. Through that kind of process, 'Maybe Happy Ending' was eventually born."

Perhaps because of that legacy, this year's creative support productions are seeing reservation rates over 30 percent higher than in previous years.

I think we can be optimistic about the future of Korean musicals.

We'll be on the lookout.

Thank you for coming in today, Ye-young.

It was my pleasure.