[2021 Academy] 'Minari' Youn Yuh-jung First Korean to Win Acting Award (2nd Report)

Asian Actor Wins Fourth Award... Recognized for Acting Skills in Non-English Role

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Actress Youn Yuh-jung (74) became the first Korean actor to win an acting award at the American Academy Awards.

On the 25th (local time), Youn Yuh-jung received the Best Supporting Actress award for the film "Minari" at the 93rd Academy Awards held at Union Station and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. This is the first time a Korean actor has held an Oscar trophy. She is the fourth Asian actor to win, following Miyoshi Umeki (Best Supporting Actress for "Sayonara" (1957)), Haing S. Ngor (Best Supporting Actor for "The Killing Fields" (1984)), and Ben Kingsley (Best Actor for "Gandhi" (1982)).

Youn Yuh-jung triumphed over strong contenders such as Maria Bakalova from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Amanda Seyfried from "Mank," Olivia Colman from "The Father," and Glenn Close from "Hillbilly Elegy." She continued the momentum from her recent wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy Film Awards, earning recognition for her seasoned acting skills. The only actresses older than her to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar were Peggy Ashcroft (aged 77 at the time for "A Passage to India" (1984)) and Josephine Hull (aged 74 at the time for "Harvey" (1950)).

This award is even more meaningful because it was achieved through acting in the Korean language. Among all lead and supporting roles, only five actors have won Oscars for non-English performances: Sophia Loren (Italian in "Two Women" (1961)), Robert De Niro (Italian in "The Godfather Part II" (1974)), Roberto Benigni (Italian in "Life is Beautiful" (1998)), Benicio Del Toro (Spanish in "Traffic" (2000)), and Marion Cotillard (French in "La Vie en Rose" (2008)).