Song Kang Ho, Choi Min Sik, and Three Others Become First Koreans to Be Invited to The Academy

Actor Song Kang Ho and Choi Min Sik, as well as film directors Bong Joon Ho and Im Kwon Taek, and animator Kim Sang Jin were invited to be part of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the United States.

These five professionals thus became the first group of Koreans to be invited to the prestigious Academy. If they accept the invitation, they will be able to vote for the Oscars, an award ceremony that takes place every year. The 322 artists who were invited in 2015 include actors Emma Stone, Daniel Radcliffe, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Choi Min Sik has appeared in critically-acclaimed movies such as “Oldboy” as well as foreign productions such as “Lucy.” He also starred in the biggest grossing Korean movie of all time, “Roaring Currents,” last year. Song Kang Ho has also met with great acclaim, both domestically and internationally, for his various roles in films such as “The Host,” “Snowpiercer,” and “The Attorney.”

Director Bong Joon Ho rose to fame with his thriller “Memories of Murder,” and solidified his grounds as one of Korea’s best directors with his 2006 box office hit “The Host,” which was the biggest grossing movie in Korea until “Avatar” in 2009. Im Kwon Taek, known for his arthouse pictures like “Painted Fire” and “Chunhyang,” has already won numerous awards at multiple international film awards and festivals.

Animator Kim Sang Jin is the first Korean to become the character design supervisor at Disney, and has worked on Disney’s animated features like “Big Hero 6” and “Frozen.”

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