The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency will award cultural medals and citations to 36 individuals and teams, including the late Shin Hae-chul, Yoo Jae-suk, and Han Young-ae, on October 29.
The Popular Culture and Arts Awards is the highest government honor established to recognize the contributions of artists in music, acting, comedy, voice acting, broadcasting, and performance, enhancing their social status and creative motivation while promoting the development of the popular culture and arts industry.
This year's ceremony, held at the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul, marks the 17th edition of the event.
This year, 10 individuals will receive cultural medals, while 7 teams will receive Presidential citations, 8 teams will receive Prime Ministerial citations, and 11 teams will receive Ministerial citations.
The Silver Medal of Culture will be awarded to Shin Hae-chul, who gained fame after winning the grand prize at the 1988 College Song Festival with his band, Infinite Track, and later popularized Korean rock music through his band N.EX.T.
The recipients of the Bronze Medal of Culture include comedian Yoo Jae-suk, who has been active in broadcasting for over 30 years; singer Han Young-ae, who is celebrating her 50th anniversary in the industry; producer Park Myung-sung, known for bringing productions like 'Mamma Mia!' and 'Chicago' to the Korean stage; voice actor Park Young-nam, known for roles in 'Dooly the Little Dinosaur' and 'Crayon Shin-chan'; and jazz musician Shin Kwan-woong, a prominent figure in Korean jazz.
Members of the K-pop group BLACKPINK—Rosé, Lisa, Jennie, and Jisoo—will also receive the Bronze Medal of Culture.
The Cultural Medal is a government award given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of culture and the enhancement of national culture, categorized into five grades: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Emerald, and Flower.
The Gold Medal of Culture is the highest grade, followed by the Silver Medal, Bronze Medal, Emerald Medal, and Flower Medal.
In addition to the Cultural Medals, Presidential citations, Prime Ministerial citations, and Ministerial citations are awarded based on merit, highlighting the achievements of popular culture artists and encouraging creative activities.
This year's Presidential citation recipients include music director Kang Seung-won, the band Resurrection, the group Super Junior, film director Jang Hang-jun, and actors Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Seung-ryong, and So Ji-sub.
The Prime Ministerial citations will go to broadcaster Bae Mi-hyang, film director Yoon Ga-eun, singer Lee Ja-ram, composer Lee Jae, and actors Yoo Seung-mok, Kim Go-eun, Oh Jung-se, and the duo AKMU.
Comedians Kim Shin-young and Kim Won-hoon, choreographer Lee Jung, actors Lim Ji-yeon, Choi Dae-hoon, Park Ji-hoon, and Yoon Kyung-ho, film producer Jang Won-seok, singer Jang Min-ho, and groups Nmixx and ENHYPEN will receive Ministerial citations.
The ceremony will feature a congratulatory performance by the crossover group La:POEM and singer Han Young-ae, a recipient of the Cultural Medal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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