Yun Dong-ju, Kim Nam-jo receive Korea's highest cultural honor
Summary
The government honored 36 artists and cultural figures at a ceremony at Modu Art Theater in Seoul’s Seodaemun District on Monday. Poets Yun Dong-ju and Kim Nam-jo were posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest grade of the government’s cultural honors. The ministry said the honorees helped build the foundation of Korean culture and pledged continued efforts to improve artists’ working conditions.
Key Facts
- Yun’s poetry expressed national suffering and resistance during Japanese colonial rule through lyrical language and personal reflection.
- Kim Nam-jo wrote poetry and essays for more than seven decades, producing over 1,000 poems and contributing to modern Korean literature.
- At the ceremony, 17 people received Cultural Merit Orders, six received the Korea Culture and Arts Award, eight received the Young Artist of Today Award and five received the Distinguished Parents of Artists Award.
- The Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit went to cartoonist Lee Hyun-se, poets Yoo An-jin and actors Jeon Mu-song and Park Jeong-ja, as well as the late painter Chung Sang-hwa.
- The Bogwan Order recipients included traditional Korean clothing designer Kim Hye-soon, poet Kim Kwang-kyu, novelist Kim Hong-shin, pianist Seo Gye-sook, dancer Kim Suk-ja and film director Park Kyung-sam.
Kim Nam-jo / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Two of Korea’s most celebrated poets received the country’s highest cultural honor on Monday, as the government recognized 36 artists and cultural figures for their contributions to literature, the performing arts and other creative fields.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said earlier in the day that poets Yun Dong-ju and Kim Nam-jo would be posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest grade of the government’s cultural honors.
An awards ceremony was held at Modu Art Theater in Seoul’s Seodaemun District, with 17 people receiving Cultural Merit Orders, six receiving the Korea Culture and Arts Award, eight receiving the Young Artist of Today Award and five receiving the Distinguished Parents of Artists Award.
Yun, a leading Korean poet during the Japanese colonial rule, left behind works that expressed national suffering and resistance through lyrical language and personal reflection.
Kim devoted more than seven decades to writing poetry and essays, producing more than 1,000 poems and contributing to the development of modern Korean literature.
Five recipients received the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, including cartoonist Lee Hyun-se, poets Yoo An-jin and actors Jeon Mu-song and Park Jeong-ja, as well as the late painter Chung Sang-hwa.
Six people was also awarded the Bogwan Order, including traditional Korean clothing designer Kim Hye-soon, poet Kim Kwang-kyu, novelist Kim Hong-shin, pianist Seo Gye-sook, dancer Kim Suk-ja and film director Park Kyung-sam.
The Korea Culture and Arts Award went six recipients, including novelist Kim Ae-ran, artistic director Jung Gu-ho and musician Kim Young-gil, who plays the Korean string instrument "ajaeng."
Eight artists, including novelist Ye So-yeon, composer Kim Shin and geomungo performer Lee Jae-ha, also received the Young Artist of Today Award.
The ministry also honored five parents for supporting their children's artistic development.
It added that the achievements of the honorees had helped build the foundation of Korean culture and pledged continued efforts to improve working conditions for artists.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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