[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Foreign media have continued to praise Youn Yuh-jung, the first Korean actor to win an American Academy Award. Meanwhile, Japanese foreign media expressed caution about the global success of Korean films.
On the 26th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) named Youn Yuh-jung, who won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Academy Awards ceremony the day before, as the "best acceptance speech" in an article titled "The Best and Worst Moments of the 2021 Oscars," calling her a "godsend" and lavishing praise.
NYT introduced the fact that Youn Yuh-jung said it was especially meaningful because the award was from the "very posh British" at the earlier British Academy Awards ceremony, which attracted attention. It also evaluated, "Youn Yuh-jung brought a similar yet more humorous energy to the British Academy Awards ceremony."
The newspaper cited Youn Yuh-jung's joke directed at Brad Pitt, the producer of the film Minari and presenter at the ceremony, saying, "Where were you when we were filming?" and her remark, "This is all because my mother worked hard," as representative examples of her humor.
NYT highly praised her, saying, "In a very stiff ceremony, Youn Yuh-jung was an unexpected gift."
The Washington Post (WP) also praised Youn Yuh-jung, calling her a "legendary actress who has won numerous awards in Korea."
The New York Post (NYP) reported, "Youn Yuh-jung stole every scene with her fearless presence," and added, "Though a newcomer in the U.S., she has often been called Korea's Meryl Streep."
On the other hand, Japanese foreign media reported that the Korean film industry is creating a sensation and showed a bitter reaction to the reality that their own country's film industry is lagging behind.
The conservative right-leaning Yomiuri Shimbun emphasized Youn Yuh-jung's award by stating, "The first since Umeki Miyoshi in Asia," highlighting that a Japanese actor had won before Youn Yuh-jung.
The Mainichi Shimbun reported, "Following last year's Parasite, Korean films showed their presence again this year."
Japan's economic specialist newspaper Toyo Keizai expressed bitterness about the reality of the Japanese film industry in an article titled "The Japanese Film Industry Far Behind Korea," stating, "Last year with director Bong Joon-ho's Parasite and this year with director Lee Isaac Chung's Minari, the Korean film industry has completely overtaken us."
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