Announcement of Winners for the Ministry of Culture and Korea Creative Content Agency Content Awards
Kim Dongrae, CEO of RaemongRaein, Receives the Order of Cultural Merit
Lee Mi-kyung, Vice Chairman of CJ ENM, will receive the Order of Cultural Merit in recognition of her contributions to the development of the content industry. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency announced the winners of the Korea Content Awards on the 8th, ahead of the awards ceremony held on the 13th at the National Museum of Korea. Awards and commendations are given to content industry professionals who have led global cultural trends with K-content, and outstanding content is selected and honored.
Vice Chairman Lee will be awarded the highest honor, the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit. She has been a key figure in the growth of the Korean film and content industry since 1995. She established the investment and distribution company CJ Entertainment and Korea’s first multiplex theater CGV, producing numerous works that became historic milestones for K-content. Representative examples include "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film) in 2020, and "Decision to Leave," which won the Best Director award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. She has played a pivotal role in the tangible and intangible growth of Korean popular culture and the global spread of K-content, having already received international honors such as the International Emmy Founders Award. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism added, "She continues to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in the U.S., further elevating the global status of Korean culture."
The Order of Cultural Merit is awarded to Kim Dong-rae, CEO of RaemongRaein. He is the producer behind dozens of dramas over the past 30 years, including "Sungkyunkwan Scandal," "Extraordinary You," "Semantic Error," and "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family." With high artistic quality and mass appeal, he introduced the charm of Korean broadcast content to the world. He also pioneered avenues to secure content intellectual property (IP), expanding the base for creating added value. The drama "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family," which recorded a peak viewership rating of 26.9% last year, was distributed to over 170 countries via online streaming services (OTT) and became one of the most-watched contents in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and other countries. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism evaluated, "He has greatly contributed to the development of the broadcasting and video industry by leading the global popularity of K-dramas."
The Presidential Citation is awarded to Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR; Jung Min-young, Head of Production at Com2uS; Jo Sung-hyun, producer at MBC; writer Yang Hee-seung; Jeong Seok-hee, principal of Gyeonggi Game Meister High School; and Nam Yoon-seung, CEO of OGN. CEO Min has worked as an art director for idol groups for over 20 years, innovatively branding groups such as EXO and Red Velvet. Notably, NewJeans, produced under the label ADOR established in 2021, entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 within six months of debut. All three albums released have sold over one million copies, marking continued success. Head of Production Jung developed various mobile games, promoting the excellence of K-games and pioneering overseas markets. These include "Summoners War: Sky Arena," "Home Run Battle 3D," and "Inotia 2." In particular, "Summoners War: Sky Arena," released in 2014, surpassed 200 million cumulative downloads and 3.2 trillion won in cumulative revenue. Over 90% of total sales come from overseas, making it a global game.
Producer Jo elevated the level of investigative documentary with "I Am God," which focused on cult religions. Writer Yang contributed to the spread of Hallyu with the drama "Ilta Scandal," which skillfully blends various genres. Principal Jeong, leveraging his game development experience, has played a key role in nurturing future talent. He opened Gyeonggi Game Meister High School, Korea’s first specialized game high school, and contributed to activating industry-academia cooperation and vocational education through the establishment of the Game Talent Center. CEO Nam launched the world’s first e-sports dedicated broadcasting channel, OGN. He operated various leagues such as "StarCraft" and "League of Legends" and built dedicated stadiums, leading the popularization of e-sports.
The Prime Minister’s Citation goes to Kwon Mi-kyung, CEO of Studio N; Byun Seung-min, CEO of Climax Studio; Kim Jun-young, CEO of Ultra Media; Hwang Sung-joon, producer at SBS; writer Kim Mi-ji; and director Kang Yoon-sung. CEO Kwon has explored new possibilities for webtoon IP by adapting dramas into webtoons and webtoons into animations. Her representative works include "Brave Citizen," "Our Beloved Summer," "Please Take Care of This Life," "Hounds," "Money Game," "Yumi’s Cells," and "True Beauty." CEO Byun has showcased the competitiveness and artistic quality of K-content worldwide with works such as "Valuation," "D.P.," and "Jung-E." In particular, "Valuation" enhanced the status of K-content by winning the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes International Series Festival and the Critics’ Award at the German Series Festival Seriencamp.
CEO Kim has laid the foundation for innovation and growth in the webtoon industry over the past 19 years through webtoon artist management, planning and production, domestic and international publishing, and IP business. The webtoon "The Boxer" has been serviced in sixteen countries including the U.S., Japan, and China, gaining great popularity. Producer Hwang conveyed modern Korean historical events in an original format through "Tales of the Day," gaining a strong fandom among young audiences. Writer Kim introduced the current state of children’s rights in SBS DocuPrime’s "Children’s Rights," presenting new paradigms for problem-solving and demonstrating the strength of K-documentaries. Director Kang proved the global competitiveness of K-content by writing and directing Disney+’s "Casino."
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citation is awarded to Seo Hyun-joo, Vice President of Starship Entertainment, who has discovered and nurtured numerous artists; Yoon Ha-rim, CEO of Hwa & Dam Pictures, who produced and exported dramas such as "Secret Garden," "A Gentleman's Dignity," and "The Heirs"; Jang Ho-gi, producer at Galaxy Corporation of Netflix’s "Physical: 100"; Lee Dong-gyu, CEO of GTist for tvN’s drama "Our Blues"; Jung Dae-yoon, producer at SLL for JTBC’s drama "The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family"; Kim Hyun-ji, producer at MBC Gyeongnam for the documentary "Adult Kimjangha"; Seo Ja-young, writer of JTBC’s "Differentiated Class"; Lim Jeong-hwa, writer of EBS’s "Women’s Centennial"; and Shift Up, which achieved global success with games "Destiny Child" and "Goddess of Victory: Nikke."
In the comics, animation, and character category, the Presidential Award goes to "Sasin," "Alssongdalssong Catch! Tinyping," and "Cookie Run." The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award is given to comics "Forest’s Wall," "Where Darkness Has Passed," and "Youth Blossom"; animations "Mom’s Land: Grisha and the Forest’s Master," "Shinbi Apartment Movie: Dimensional Goblin and the Seven Worlds," and "Codename X"; and characters "Moonak Crew," "Odungi Imnida," and "Half and Friends."
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