Actor Son Ye-jin and Pungnyu Master Im Dong-chang Receive the '1st Daegu Cultural Award'

The Daegu City Cultural Center Federation announced on the 1st that, together with the district and county cultural centers, it will award the first-ever ‘Daegu Cultural Person Award’ at the ‘2024 Daegu Cultural Center Day’ to actress Son Ye-jin and Pungnyu master Im Dong-chang.

The inaugural ‘Daegu Cultural Person Award,’ established this year, is given to domestic and international figures who have illuminated Daegu. Actress Son Ye-jin and Pungnyu master Im Dong-chang were honored as the first recipients.

Actor Son Ye-jin

Son Ye-jin, the finest actress born in Daegu, has made significant achievements in the history of Korean culture. She has greatly contributed to elevating Daegu’s status not only domestically but also globally, and has performed numerous exceptional acts of charity, including supporting children with incurable diseases, single-mother families, and scholarships for low-income disabled children.

In particular, she was selected as a recipient in recognition of her outstanding contribution to promoting Daegu worldwide, such as donating 100 million won when COVID-19 spread in Daegu.

Pungnyu master Im Dong-chang, an unparalleled master pianist, has greatly contributed to the development of Korean music and has played a significant role in promoting Daegu through culture and the arts. He was honored for his contributions, including organizing the ‘Dalseong 100 Pianos’ event for five consecutive years to commemorate the introduction of the piano to Sammunjin Ferry Terminal for the first time in Korea, and for fostering cultural and artistic exchanges between Yeongnam and Honam regions (37 performances and 9 special lectures in the Yeongnam area, as well as writing and composing Daegu Arirang and Dalseong Arirang).

The Daegu City Cultural Center Federation is an organization striving for balanced development, mutual cooperation, and the promotion of common interests among nine cultural centers in the region, as well as the dissemination and development of local culture. At the ‘2024 Daegu Cultural Center Day’ event held on the 2nd with support from Daegu City, Daegu City Council, and the Korea Federation of Cultural Centers, the ‘Daegu Cultural Person Award’ will be presented to these individuals. Additionally, a variety of celebratory performances featuring renowned cultural and artistic figures are being prepared.

Park Soo-kwan, president of the Daegu City Cultural Center Federation, stated, “The 2024 Daegu Cultural Center Day is expected to be a festival where cultural centers and citizens unite, featuring the presentation of the Daegu Cultural Person Award, a representative arts competition of district and county cultural centers, and commendations for cultural center contributors.” He added, “We plan to do our best to become a better cultural center for Daegu in the future.”