With the Korean musical "Maybe Happy Ending" sweeping six Tony Awards, Korean content has now conquered three of America's four major entertainment awards. Only the Grammy Awards remain unconquered, sparking interest in whether K-content can achieve a complete grand slam. 

K-Content's Award-Winning Streak 

The Academy Awards (Oscars) saw Korean cinema make history in 2020 when director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" became the first Korean film to win Best Picture, along with three other categories including Best Director. The following year, Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress for "Minari," becoming the first Korean actor to win an Academy Award for acting. 

The Emmy Awards were conquered in 2022 when Netflix's "Squid Game" brought home trophies for Lee Jung-jae (Outstanding Lead Actor) and director Hwang Dong-hyuk (Outstanding Directing), marking the first time Korean television content won the awards often called "television's Academy Awards." 

The Tony Awards have now been claimed by "Maybe Happy Ending's" historic six-win sweep, representing the first Korean original musical to win Broadway's most prestigious honors. 

Grammy Awards: The Final Frontier 

The Grammy Awards remain the only major American entertainment award that Korean popular music has yet to win. 

In classical music, soprano Cho Sumi won Best Opera Recording in 1993, and sound engineer Hwang Byung-joon won classical recording awards in 2012 and 2016. However, no Korean popular music artist or K-pop act has claimed a Grammy trophy. 

BTS was nominated for Grammy Awards from 2021 to 2023 but failed to win. In 2023, despite challenges from BTS members' solo work, Fifty Fifty, Stray Kids, and TWICE, Korean artists were unable to secure nominations. 

Industry Anticipation and Expectations 

At the "Squid Game" Season 3 press conference, director Hwang Dong-hyuk congratulated the Tony Awards win, saying, "I had thought that since we won Oscars and Emmys, what remained were the Grammys and Tonys among America's four major awards. Now that a Korean original musical has won the Tony Awards, I'm thrilled and proud." 

The question now remains: Can K-pop finally conquer the Grammy Awards to complete K-content's grand slam of America's four major entertainment awards? The achievement would represent the ultimate validation of Korean cultural content's global appeal and artistic excellence across all major entertainment mediums.

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