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| Youn Yuh-jung / Courtesy of PANCINEMA |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Youn Yuh-jung was named Best Supporting Actress by the Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) for her performance in the film "Minari," raising the hope that she might become Korea's first actor to win an Oscar nomination.
The 73-year-old actress was also a runner up in the National Society of Film Critics' Supporting Actress category, following winner Maria Bakalova of "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," and Amanda Seyfriend of "Mank."
Directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari" depicts the experiences and struggles of first-generation immigrants from Korea in the 1980s, who settle in the U.S. in pursuit of their own American dream. Yoon plays the role of an eccentric grandmother named Soon-ja who changes the life of her family after moving to the U.S.
Youn is enjoying a second heyday by expanding her screen presence in Hollywood. The latest COFCA award is Youn's eighth best supporting actress trophy from U.S. film critics associations and festivals.
She was awarded by the Los Angeles Film Critics, Boston Society of Film Critics, the North Carolina Film Critics, Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, Greater Western New York Film Critics for her performance in "Minari."
Youn also won for the same role at the Sunset Film Circle Awards and Alliance of Women Film Journalist Awards; and has been nominated for best actress at the 30th Gotham Independent Film Awards, to be announced Jan. 11 (local time).
With a career spanning five decades, Youn is one of Korea's most in-demand film and TV actors, and this year she will be taking the lead role in "Pachinko," an upcoming Apple TV series based on the novel of the same name.
She is currently starring in "Youn's Stay," a reality program where she shows off her cooking skills to foreign guests while running a hanok (traditional Korean house) guesthouse with actors Lee Seo-jin, Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-joon and Choi Woo-shik.
The Oscar nominations will be announced March 15, while the awards ceremony will take place April 25.
"Minari" will hit local theaters in the first half of 2021.
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