Writer Lee Mun-yeol and Director Kim Jeong-ok Awarded the Geumgwan Medal for Cultural and Artistic Development

"I Mun-yeol Contributes to Popularization and Development of Korean Literature"
Kim Jeong-ok Directs Over 100 Works... Also Conducts Touring Performances

Writer Lee Mun-yeol (real name Lee Yeol) and theater director Kim Jeong-ok will receive the Gold Crown Medal.

Author Lee Mun-yeol

On the 25th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold an awards ceremony for contributors to the development of culture and arts at the Modu Arts Theater in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. This is a moment of gratitude and encouragement held since 1969 to commemorate Culture Day (the third Saturday of October).

Lee, who is receiving the highest honor, is a representative novelist of Korea. He debuted in 1979 with "Saehagok" through the Dong-A Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest. Over 45 years, he has published more than ninety works on various subjects and themes. His representative works include "Our Twisted Hero," "Son of Man," and "For the Emperor." His works have been translated and published in twenty-four languages across thirty-one countries, promoting the excellence of Korean literature. Kim Do-young, head of the Arts Policy Division at the Ministry of Culture, said, "He has contributed to the popularization and development of Korean literature and has fully qualified for the Gold Crown Medal as a representative of Buakmunwon who has devoted himself to nurturing future talents."

Standing shoulder to shoulder with him, director Kim has presented over 100 works in the past 50 years with the Minjung Theater Company and the Free Theater Company. These include "What Will It Become," "The Banquet of the Outcast," and "The Bald Female Singer." His works have toured thirty-two cities in seven countries including Japan, France, and Germany. Kim explained, "He also expanded opportunities for the public to enjoy culture and arts by planning and directing various exhibitions at 'Museum Face.'"

Kim Jeong-ok, Theater Director

The Silver Crown Medal will be awarded to Baek Byung-dong, honorary professor at Seoul National University, Yang Hye-sook, chairperson of the Korea Performing Arts Institute, and Woo Gyu-seung, CEO of Architects. Professor Baek has published over 100 works in various fields including solo pieces, chamber music, orchestral works, operas, and cantatas over 65 years. Chairperson Yang founded the Korea Performing Arts Institute and has worked to research and systematize performance techniques of "Hanguk (韓劇)." Hanguk is a term that collectively refers to performing arts modernizing traditional culture such as song (ga), dance (mu), and music (ak). CEO Woo has designed distinctive architectural heritage, promoting the excellence of Korean architecture worldwide. His representative works include the Olympic Village Apartments, Hwan-gi Museum of Art, Korean Pavilion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Asia Culture Center, and Harvard University dormitories.

The Bronze Crown Medal will be awarded to Kang In-suk, director of the Youngin Literature Museum, who has collected and preserved literary materials of modern writers such as Lee Sang, Lee Kwang-su, and Yun Dong-ju; writer Yoon Heung-gil, who revealed the contradictions of the era through works like "Season of the Gray Crown," "Monsoon," and "Armband"; dancer Ha Jeong-ae, a pioneer of contemporary dance in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions; visual artist Kim Yoon-shin, who has exhibited in the U.S. and Spain; and designer Lee Sang-cheong, who collaborated with artisans to develop and exhibit "Baekja Chilcheop Bansanggi" and "Ottchil Bansanggi."

The Jade Crown Medal will be awarded to Shin In-suk, chairperson of the Heart-Heart Foundation; Lee Haeng-ja, CEO of the Bontae Museum; film critic Kim Jong-won; former University of Hawaii professor Lee Byung-won; and Hanji craftsman Kim Sam-sik.