[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 29th, President Yoon Suk-yeol sent congratulatory messages to director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho, who won the Best Director and Best Actor awards respectively at the 25th Cannes International Film Festival.
On the same day, President Yoon posted on his social media (SNS) saying to Director Park and Song Kang-ho, "I congratulate you together with the people." This is the second congratulatory message sent by President Yoon since his inauguration, following Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham), who won the top scorer title in the English Premier League (EPL) on the 23rd.
Earlier, on the evening of the 28th (local time) at the closing ceremony of the 75th Cannes International Film Festival held in Cannes, France, Song Kang-ho won the Best Actor award for "Broker," and Director Park Chan-wook won the Best Director award for "Decision to Leave." Song Kang-ho's Best Actor award at Cannes is the first for a Korean actor and the fourth for an Asian actor. Notably, this is the first time that the Korean film industry has won two awards side by side in the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival.
President Yoon first said to Director Park, "This award is the result of the blossoming of your cinematic talent and efforts accumulated through works such as 'Oldboy' in 2004, 'Thirst' in 2009, and 'The Handmaiden' in 2016," adding, "Your deep understanding and insight into human existence and inner self, shown through seemingly contradictory stories, move the hearts of people worldwide."
He continued, "I pay tribute to Director Park Chan-wook, the actors, and the production team who once again confirmed the unique originality and outstanding competitiveness of Korean cinema," and expressed hope that "you will continue to elevate the status of Korean cinema with excellent works widely loved by people around the world."
Regarding Song Kang-ho, he said, "This award is the result of the blossoming of the profound acting skills that actor Song Kang-ho has built through films such as 'Miryang,' 'Thirst,' and 'Parasite,'" and evaluated, "The great directors born in Korea would not have moved the audience's hearts without Song Kang-ho's acting."
He added, "Song Kang-ho's outstanding acting, which will be remembered in film history, has raised our pride in Korean culture and arts to a new level and provided great comfort to the people exhausted by COVID-19."
He also expressed respect to Director Hirokazu Kore-eda and the actors and production team who created the wonderful work "Broker" together, saying, "I hope you will continue to be active with works widely loved by people around the world."
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