Korean culture awards honour Yoo Jae-suk and BLACKPINK

Seoul hosted the Korean culture awards on 29 October 2026, as South Korea's government honoured comedians, singers, actors and producers whose work has shaped popular culture at home and abroad. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency presented cultural medals and commendations to 36 individuals and teams at the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul. The ceremony marked the 17th edition of the awards, which the ministry describes as the highest government honour for popular culture artists.

According to Aju Press, the awards were established to raise the social standing of artists working in music, acting, comedy, voice acting, broadcasting and performance, and to encourage creative work across the industry. Candidates were gathered from April through public nominations and expert recommendations, then assessed on length of service, domestic and international activity, contribution to the industry and contribution to society, reported by StarNews. The orders run from the Gold Crown down to the Flower Crown, with the Silver Crown, Precious Crown and Jade Crown sitting between those ends of the scale.

The medal recipients

The late singer Shin Hae-chul received the Silver Crown posthumously for leading the popularisation of Korean rock music, according to the Seoul Economic Daily. Shin, who died in 2014, won the grand prize at the 1988 College Song Festival with the band Infinite Track before pursuing experimental music with N.EX.T. Comedian Yoo Jae-suk received the Precious Crown after more than 30 years in broadcasting, a career that made him one of the most familiar television hosts in South Korea. Singer Han Young-ae also received the Precious Crown as she marked her 50th anniversary in the industry.

Theatre producer Park Myung-sung, known for bringing Mamma Mia! and Chicago to the Korean stage, voice actor Park Young-nam, known for Dooly the Little Dinosaur and Crayon Shin-chan, and jazz pianist Shin Kwan-woong also received the Precious Crown. BLACKPINK members Rosé, Lisa, Jennie and Jisoo received the Jade Crown, a recognition of the group's role in carrying Korean pop music to audiences around the world. Yoo told reporters at the ceremony that the day had not been something dreamed of, describing the recognition as "truly an honor" for family and lineage.

Beyond the medal recipients, the honours were spread across three further tiers. Presidential commendations went to music director Kang Seung-won, the band Resurrection, the group Super Junior, film director Jang Hang-jun and actors Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Seung-ryong and So Ji-sub. Prime ministerial commendations went to broadcaster Bae Mi-hyang, film director Yoon Ga-eun, singer Lee Ja-ram, composer Lee Jae and actors Yoo Seung-mok, Kim Go-eun, Oh Jung-se and the duo AKMU. Ministerial commendations went to comedians Kim Shin-young and Kim Won-hoon, choreographer Lee Jung, actors Lim Ji-yeon, Choi Dae-hoon, Park Ji-hoon and Yoon Kyung-ho, film producer Jang Won-seok, singer Jang Min-ho and groups Nmixx and ENHYPEN.

How the honours are chosen

The ceremony also underlined the international reach of the honourees, with the global audience for BLACKPINK and the long television career of Yoo both featuring in coverage of the night. Minister Choi Hui-young presented the Precious Crown medal to Yoo at the ceremony, according to StarNews. The evening programme took place in the Haeoreum Theater inside the National Theater complex.

The spread of recipients shows how wide the ministry's definition of popular culture has become, covering stage production and voice acting alongside chart music and television comedy. A singer marking a long career stood beside a group still filling arenas, while a rock musician who died more than a decade ago was honoured for work that changed what Korean rock could sound like. That mix is deliberate: the awards are meant to record contribution over time rather than reward a single season of success.

The ceremony closed with a congratulatory performance by crossover group La:POEM and by Han Young-ae, herself a medal recipient on the night. For readers outside South Korea, the list also works as a map of the country's entertainment history, from the rock scene of the late twentieth century to the global pop acts of today. Full details of the recipients were published by Aju Press and by the Seoul Economic Daily.