Actor Lee Byung-hun received the Bogwan Cultural Medal at the 2025 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said they held the 2025 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards ceremony at the National Theater in Jung-gu, Seoul on Oct. 23 and presented cultural medals and government citations to those who contributed to the development of popular culture and the arts.
Since his debut in 1991, Lee Byung-hun has built a deep and wide acting spectrum by moving between film and drama. With major works such as Inside Men, Decision to Leave, and Concrete Utopia, he has shown the strength of Korean cinema, and through the Netflix series Squid Game Season, tvN's Mr. Sunshine, and Our Blues, he has earned the trust of both the public and critics.
Recently, with Park Chan-wook's new film No Other Choice, he attended the Venice International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, proving his presence on the global stage. Both the film and his acting received praise locally, and at the Toronto International Film Festival he received a special achievement award, and at the Newport Beach Film Festival he received the Artist of Distinction award, setting a new milestone for Korean actors.
Lee Byung-hun said he had won awards at film festivals many times after meeting good works, but that thinking he would receive a medal felt strange. He said he did not start acting with a grand sense of mission but simply because he liked films and what he did, and he felt shy about receiving such great honor and glory. This year, especially, meeting many audiences and fans abroad in person made him feel firsthand how tremendous the stature of K-content is. As a Korean and as someone in popular arts, it was a year of great pride. He said he would accept this medal as a call to act harder so that Korean culture can shine more on the world stage and expressed deep gratitude.
Meanwhile, in the film No Other Choice, Lee Byung-hun delicately portrayed Mansu, a head of household who struggles to support his family after sudden unemployment, delivering a deep resonance. With sincere acting that raised the immersion of the drama, he was nominated for best actor at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards, as well as being featured at prominent overseas film festivals, once again establishing himself as an actor drawing global attention beyond Korea.
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