Kwon Hyuk-bin, Founder of Smilegate Group
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The 'Korea Content Awards Ceremony,' which honors the individuals and outstanding content that have illuminated the Republic of Korea, will be held on the 8th at the Content Korea Lab (CKL) performance hall in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The Content Awards Ceremony is an event that recognizes workers and works that have contributed to brightening the Korean content industry and delivering emotion and joy to the public. It is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established a new Cultural Medal in the overseas content advancement category this year, considering the influence of the spread of the New Korean Wave and the content industry in revitalizing the national economy and enhancing the country's image. Through this, it plans to further boost the pride of content industry workers and add greater momentum to the spread of the New Korean Wave.
Accordingly, a total of 49 individuals (works) will be awarded in seven categories: ▲ Overseas Advancement Merit Award ▲ Broadcasting and Video Industry Development Merit Award ▲ Game Industry Development Merit Award ▲ Animation Award ▲ Character Award ▲ Comics Award ▲ Story Award.
Kwon Hyuk-bin, founder and Chief Vision Officer of Smilegate Group, will be awarded the Cultural Medal. Founder Kwon was recognized for developing famous games such as 'Crossfire,' 'Epic Seven,' and 'Lost Ark,' securing 670 million users across 80 countries worldwide, and achieving cumulative export revenue of approximately 3.5 trillion KRW.
In the overseas advancement merit category, Kwak Shin-ae, CEO of Barunson E&A, and Lee Sang-baek, CEO of AStory, will receive the Presidential Citation. The film 'Parasite,' produced by CEO Kwak, attracted 10 million viewers domestically and was sold to 202 countries worldwide, setting the record for the highest sales of a Korean film. It also won the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes International Film Festival, the first Korean film to do so, and received four awards including Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards. CEO Lee planned and produced the zombie drama series 'Kingdom,' set in the Joseon Dynasty. This work was provided in 27 languages to about 190 countries through the global OTT service Netflix and gained popularity.
In the broadcasting and video industry development merit category, director Shin Won-ho of CJ ENM for 'Hospital Playlist' and director Choi Pil-gon of KBS for 'Great Planning 23.5' will receive the Presidential Citation. In the game industry development merit category, Kakao Games CEO Namgoong Hoon and WCG Co., Ltd. CEO Seo Tae-geon will receive the Presidential Citation.
In the animation category, the broadcast animation 'Baby Shark Ollie Doo Doo Doo,' produced by SmartStudy, a company specializing in infant and child content that created Pinkfong Baby Shark, will receive the Presidential Award. In the character category, 'Giant PengTV,' which created the penguin character 'Pengsoo,' will receive the Presidential Award. In the comics category, webtoon 'Tower of God' by artist SIU, and in the story contest category, 'Alien Game' will each receive the Presidential Award.
Park Yang-woo, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "Our content is sparking a New Korean Wave worldwide and providing great comfort to the people exhausted by COVID-19. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will wholeheartedly support the content industry leading Korea's future to invigorate it and help workers take pride in their work."
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