K-musical sweeps 6 Tony Awards

[Anchor]

Starting with K-pop, which has dominated the Billboard charts and the global music scene, the movie 'Parasite' broke through the walls of the Academy Award in 2020.

And two years later, the series 'Squid Game' won Emmy Awards.

Last year, with the Nobel Prize in Literature, the world is truly going crazy for K-content.

And today (6.9), another piece of good news has been delivered.

A Korean original musical that started in a small theater in Daehak-ro has swept six categories at the Tony Awards, known as the Academy Awards of the theater and musical world.

Reporter Kim Sang-hyeop has the story.

[Report]

["Love blooms briefly like a spring flower...."]

Robots named Oliver and Claire, abandoned by humans.

["When you look at me, your gaze and your smile when you laugh...."]

They learn human emotions and soon fall in love.

With just three actors, the small theater in Daehak-ro was their first stage.

["Perfect mood on the day we met. (Unbelievable!)"]

Although it did not gain attention immediately after entering the U.S. market, it became a hot topic on Broadway through word of mouth on social media.

About seven months after entering the U.S., K-musical has swept six categories, including the prestigious Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.

This is the first time an originally Korean musical has done so.

[Park Chun-hue/'Maybe Happy Ending' Writer: “This is our 10th anniversary. Without the overwhelming support of Korean audiences, we wouldn’t have been able to prepare this long run in New York.”]

[Will Aronson/'Maybe Happy Ending' Composer: "I really can't believe it. Thank you so much for your support."]

Following last year’s Tony win for The Great Gatsby in costume design, this achievement confirms that Korean musical production has reached world-class standards.

[Won Jong-won/Professor of Media Communication at Soonchunhyang University: “Musicals are a source of deep cultural pride in the West. So for a Korean-born musical to win six Tonys, including Best Musical..."]

From the heart of musical theater, the power of K-musicals has now been proven—fueled by relentless creativity and passion from Korea’s musical creators.

This is KBS News Kim Sang-hyeop.