Minari’s Youn Yuh-jung Becomes First Korean to Win an Oscar in an Acting Category

By Ammar Haziq  •  26 Apr 2021 in News

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South Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung has won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her performance in the film Minari, becoming the first Korean person to win an Academy Award in an acting category.

Youn plays the grandma in Minari, a film about a South Korean family who moves to Arkansas, USA to make a better life which turns out to be more challenging than expected.

Other actresses in the category included Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy), Olivia Colman (The Father) and Amanda Seyfried (Mank). Prior to her Oscar win, Youn also took home a Bafta and Screen Actors Guild award for the same category.

 

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Youn kicked off her acceptance speech at the 93rd Academy Awards by explaining that her name was always mispronounced when she travels and said “tonight, you’re all forgiven”.

During her acceptance speech, she said she would normally watch the Oscars ceremony on TV at home back in South Korea, and that being there was a surreal experience for her.

Youn also acknowledge the other nominees in the category and finished her speech by saying that she doesn’t believe in competition She thanked her two boys and added, “This is because mummy worked so hard!”

Last year, South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho swept the Oscars when his film Parasite won three Academy Awards, an amazing feat that’s not easy to come by in Hollywood.

Watch Minari‘s trailer below: