[Corporate-Supported K-Culture] ① Nobel Prize, Tony Awards... Strong Backing Behind the Shining Stage

Full Support from SK Group's Wooran Cultural Foundation
'Maybe Happy Ending' Wins Six Tony Awards
Kyobo Life's Daesan Foundation Translation Support Project
Pivotal Role in Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature
Kumho Cultural Foundation's Sponsorship of the Classical Music Industry
Achievements Include Seongjin Cho, Son Yeoleum, and Lim Yunchan

Last month, the Korean cultural and arts sector added a new milestone with the prestigious Tony Awards. The original musical 'Maybe Happy Ending' swept six major categories, including Best Musical, at the Tony Awards, the most esteemed accolade in the American theater industry. In particular, the fact that this production was made possible through the full support of the Wooran Cultural Foundation, a nonprofit under the SK Group, has brought renewed attention to corporate social contribution activities.

This is not limited to 'Maybe Happy Ending.' Over the past decade, many of the remarkable achievements in Korean culture and arts?such as Seongjin Cho's victory at the 2015 Chopin Competition, the film 'Parasite' winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature?were also based on corporate sponsorship. Ongoing corporate support has become a solid foundation for K-content, which is now attracting global attention.

The Wooran Cultural Foundation was established using the pen name 'Wooran' of Park Gyehee, the mother of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and founder of the Walkerhill Museum of Art. The foundation, founded in 2014, selected 'Maybe Happy Ending' as its first creative support project. Thanks to the foundation's active backing, the musical was able to produce both Korean and English versions from its premiere.

Musical 'Maybe Happy Ending' Broadway Performance Photos
Photo by NHN Link

Kim Yucheol, head of Library Company, who worked as a producer at the Wooran Cultural Foundation at the time and proposed the project to the creative duo Park Chunghyu and Will Aronson, said, "There are hardly any cases where an English version was produced simultaneously, which shows just how comprehensive the support was. At that time, the Wooran Cultural Foundation was a platform for various challenges and experiments. SK Group accomplished something truly significant."

Corporate support also played a major role in Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature. The translation support program of the Daesan Foundation, a public interest foundation under Kyobo Life Group, made a decisive contribution. The Daesan Foundation is the only literary-focused foundation among those affiliated with major Korean conglomerates. Founded in 1992, it began its Korean literature translation project the following year, even before the government established the Korean Literature Translation Fund, the predecessor to the current Literature Translation Institute of Korea, in 1996. This marked the first private-sector step toward globalizing Korean literature.

The Daesan Foundation supported the publication of the English edition of Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian' in 2014, which laid the groundwork for her winning the Booker Prize in the UK in 2016 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023. As of just before the Nobel Prize, Han Kang's works had been translated and published abroad a total of 82 times, with 72 of those occurring after the Booker Prize win. The surge in translations following the award led to Han Kang's name becoming widely known internationally, which ultimately resulted in her Nobel Prize in Literature.

Han Kang's achievement was also a long-held dream of the late Shin Yongho, founder of Kyobo Life. Lee Junghwa, secretary general of the Daesan Foundation, explained, "At the suggestion of Kyobo Life founder Shin Yongho, portraits of Nobel laureates were hung at the entrance of Kyobo Bookstore in 1992. The late chairman earnestly hoped that Korean literature would one day produce a Nobel laureate."

Novelist Han Kang

The Kumho Cultural Foundation has provided a platform for emerging talents in the Korean classical music scene through the 'Kumho Young Talent Concert' and 'Kumho Young Artist Concert.' Among classical music enthusiasts, being a Kumho Young Talent alumnus has become synonymous with being a skilled young performer. The Kumho Young Talent Concert is a stage for musical prodigies under the age of 15, while the Kumho Young Artist Concert is for young musicians aged 16 to 26.

The first performer at the inaugural concert in July 1998 was pianist Son Yeol-eum. Seongjin Cho, who gained global fame by winning the Chopin Competition in 2015, made his debut at the Kumho Young Talent Concert in 2005 at the age of 11. Pianist Lim Yunchan, who drew attention by winning the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, also made his debut on this stage at the same age in 2015.

Pianist Seongjin Cho is expressing his thoughts at the press conference for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra's 75th anniversary tour held on November 20-20 last year at Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo

In 2000, the Kumho Cultural Foundation opened the small-scale, classical music-dedicated Kumho Art Hall, providing young performers with abundant stage experience. The foundation also supports outstanding musicians with scholarships and airline tickets, and operates the 'Kumho Instrument Bank,' which offers free loans of high-quality antique instruments. The collection includes eight Guadagnini violins and one Maggini cello.

In addition, the Kumho Cultural Foundation offers administrative and promotional support, such as reviewing contracts for young musicians and distributing press releases related to international competition wins.

It is also well known that CJ Group provided strong support behind 'Parasite,' the first Korean film to win both the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. In 1995, CJ made a full-fledged entry into the film business by investing $300 million in DreamWorks, which was co-founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. CJ secured an 11% stake in DreamWorks, established CJ Entertainment in 1997 to enter film distribution, and expanded into the theater business by founding CJ CGV in 1999.

Since then, CJ has continued its relationship with director Bong Joon-ho by investing in films such as 'Memories of Murder' (2003), 'Mother' (2009), and 'Snowpiercer' (2013), ultimately leaving an indelible mark on Korean cinema with 'Parasite.' The company has also played a key role in globalizing Korean films by actively pioneering overseas markets.

With these significant achievements in culture and the arts, there is growing anticipation that more companies will increase their support for cultural and artistic activities in the future. Yoon Soyoung, senior research fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, said, "Although it cannot be said that Korean companies are already highly active in supporting culture and the arts, there is a growing trend of companies taking an interest in these activities as part of their social responsibility. Recent achievements in the cultural and arts sectors could become a catalyst for expanding corporate sponsorship."