Kang Soo-yeon and Park Chan-wook, Leading the Globalization of Korean Cinema, Awarded the Silver Crown Cultural Medal

Writer Heo Young-man and Park Jin-sook, and Actor Song Kang-ho awarded the Bogwan Cultural Medal
Actor Kim Yoon-seok, Writer Park Hae-young, Singer Kim Hyun-chul awarded the Bogwan Cultural Medal

The funeral hall for the late Kang Soo-yeon, a great star of Korean cinema, was set up on the 8th at Samsung Seoul Hospital. The photo shows the deceased during her lifetime. /Jang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The late actress Kang Soo-yeon, who dominated the Korean film industry in the 1980s and 1990s, and director Park Chan-wook, who won the Best Director award at the Cannes International Film Festival for "Decision to Leave (2022)," will be awarded the Silver Crown Cultural Medal.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency will hold the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony on the 24th at the National Theater's Haeoreum Theater. This is the highest government award held annually to boost the pride of popular culture artists such as singers, actors, comedians, voice actors, broadcast writers, and performers, and to raise the social status of related industries. Awardees are selected based on their period of service, domestic and international achievements, contributions to the industry, social contributions, and public reputation and recognition. This year, twenty-eight individuals (teams) will be honored, including five recipients of the Cultural Medal, six Presidential Citations, eight Prime Minister Citations (teams), and nine Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citations (teams).

The late Kang, who passed away in May, will receive the Silver Crown Cultural Medal. She was recognized for honing her acting skills for about 50 years and establishing a unique expressive world. Her passionate performances were directly linked to the international leap of Korean cinema. She won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for portraying a surrogate mother living a tragic fate in "The Surrogate Woman (1987)." She was the first Korean actor to receive trophies from the world's three major film festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin), earning her the title of "World Star." She continued to break away from stereotypes with bold challenges, becoming a pillar of the "Korean New Cinema." Based on her early experience attending overseas film festivals, she also took on cultural administrative roles. Notably, from 2015 to 2017, she served as co-executive director of the Busan International Film Festival, promoting the excellence of Korean cinema worldwide.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Director Park, who has won three Cannes Film Festival trophies including the Jury Prize for "Oldboy" and the Jury Prize for "Thirst," will also receive the Silver Crown Cultural Medal. He is a director who has depicted complex themes such as primal human desires, violence, guilt, and salvation through explosive narratives and visual excess. He is praised for skillfully balancing popular and critical expectations between genre films and auteur aspirations. His representative works include the revenge trilogy "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)," "Oldboy (2003)," and "Lady Vengeance (2005)," as well as "Thirst (2009)," "The Handmaiden (2016)," and "Decision to Leave." His next project is the HBO series "The Sympathizer," starring Robert Downey Jr.

Cartoonist Heo Young-man, who led the golden age of Korean comics with works like "Sikgaek (2002)," "Tazza (1999)," and "Gaksital (1974)," and writer Park Jin-sook, known for writing heartfelt drama scripts such as "Son and Daughter (1992)," "A Deep-Rooted House (1990)," and "That Woman (1990)," as well as actor Song Kang-ho, who won the Best Actor award at the Cannes International Film Festival for "Broker (2022)," will receive the Bronze Crown Cultural Medal.

Heo Young-man, Author

Recipients of the Presidential Citation include voice actor Hong Seung-ok, performer Byun Sung-yong, actor Kim Yoon-seok, writer Park Hae-young, singer Kim Hyun-chul, and the late music director Bang Jun-seok. Singers Jawoorim, Jang Pil-soon, Woo Ji-ho (Zico), actor Lee Sung-min, comedian Park Myung-soo, director Yeon Sang-ho, producer Kim Ji-yeon, and writer Kim Botong will receive the Prime Minister Citation. The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citation will be awarded to the groups aespa and Tomorrow X Together, actors Jeon Mi-do and Kim Sun-young, comedian Hong Hyun-hee, voice actor Kim Young-sun, planner and producer Han Seung-won, choreographer Kang Hye-in (Aiki), and singer Kim Tae-hyung (Paul Kim).

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