The Order of Cultural Merit (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 문화훈장) is one of South Korea's

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

of merit. It is awarded by the

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

for "outstanding meritorious services in the fields of culture and art in the interest of promoting the national culture and national development."

Grades

The Order of Cultural Merit is conferred in five grades.

Recipients

Geumgwan (Gold Crown), 1st Class

* Myung-whun Chung, 1996 *

Shin Sang-ok Shin Sang-ok ( ko, 신상옥; born Shin Tae-seo; October 11, 1926 – April 11, 2006) was a South Korean filmmaker with more than 100 producer and 70 director credits to his name. His best-known films were made in the 1950s and 60s, many of them ...

, 2006 *

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super h ...

, 2007 *

Yu Hyun-mok Yu Hyun-mok (July 2, 1925 – June 28, 2009) was a South Korean film director. Born in Sariwon, Hwanghae, Korea (North Korea today), he made his film debut in 1956 with ''Gyocharo'' (''Crossroads''). According to the website koreanfilm.org, ...

, 2009 *

Park Wan-suh Park Wan-suh (October 20, 1931January 22, 2011) was a South Korean writer. Life Park Wan-suh (also Park Wan-seo, Park Wan-so, Park Wansuh, Park Kee-pah, Pak Wan-so, Pak Wanso) was born in 1931 in Gaepung-gun in what is now Hwanghaebuk-do in No ...

, 2011 *

Youn Yuh-jung Youn Yuh-jung (, ; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Independent Spir ...

, 2021 *

Song Hae Song Bok-hee (; 27 April 1927 – 8 June 2022), also known professionally as Song Hae (), was a South Korean television music show host and singer. He had been the host of the longest running music show '' National Singing Contest'' from 1988 ...

, 2022 (posthumous)

Eungwan (Silver Crown), 2nd Class

Martina Deuchler Martina Deuchler (born 1935 in Zurich) is a Swiss academic and author. She was a professor of Korean studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) from 1991 to 2001. Profile Martina Deuchler developed her interest in Korea by ...

, 1995 * Lee Mi-ja, 2009 *

Kun-Woo Paik Kun-woo Paik (born March 10, 1946 in Seoul) is a South Korean pianist. He has performed with multiple orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic. Early life Kun-Woo Pa ...

, 2010 *

Lee Soo-man Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational South Korean entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred ...

, 2011 *

Shin Young-kyun Shin Young-kyun (born November 6, 1928) is a South Korean actor, film producer, and politician. Biography Shin Young-kyun was born in Pyongsan, Hwanghae Province (now part of North Korea) in 1928. When he was 10 years old, Shin went to Seoul. Wh ...

, 2011 * Ha Chun-hwa, 2011 *

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of ...

, 2012 *

Kim Soo-hyun Kim Soo-hyun (; born February 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. One of the highest-paid actors in South Korea, his accolades include four Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. From 2012 to 2016 and in ...

, 2012 * Kim Ku-lim, 2017 *

Cho Yong-pil Cho Yong-pil (; born March 21, 1950) is a South Korean singer who is considered one of the most influential figures in Korean popular music. He debuted as a member of the rock band Atkins in 1968 and made his solo debut with the hit single "Co ...

, 2013 * Gu Bong-seo, 2013 *

Ahn Sung-ki Ahn Sung-ki (born January 1, 1952) is a South Korean actor. One of the country's most respected actors, he has appeared in more than 130 films during his career of over 60 years. Career A native of Seoul, Ahn was the son of a veteran filmmaker ...

, 2013 * Patti Kim, 2013 * Park Jung-ran, 2014 *

, 2014 * Choi Bul-am, 2014 *

Lee Soon-jae Lee Soon-jae (; born November 16, 1934) is a South Korean actor. He has had a prolific career on the small and big screen spanning over six decades, and was given a second-class Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit for his work as an actor. Early an ...

, 2018
soompi.com. retrieved 2018-10-25 * Kim Min-ki, 2018 * Bong Joon-ho, 2019 *

Kim Hye-ja Kim Hye-ja (; born October 25, 1941) is a South Korean actress and humanitarian. Best known to South Korean audiences as the archetypal mother figure in popular television series such as ''Country Diaries'', ''What Is Love?'', ''My Mother's Sea'' ...

, 2019 *

Yang Hee-eun Yang Hee-eun (; born August 13, 1952) is a South Korean singer and songwriter. Her syndicated radio show ''Women Era'' has aired via the MBC Standard FM since 1999. Awards and honors References External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, ...

, 2019 * Ryu Je-dong, 2020 *

Go Doo-shim Go Doo-shim (; born May 22, 1951) is a South Korean actress. Career A native of Jeju Island, Go Doo-shim made her acting debut in 1972 and since then she had a prolific career on television, film and theater. Best known for playing the quintes ...

, 2020 *

Byun Hee-bong Byun Hee-bong (born Byun In-chul; June 8, 1942) is a South Korean actor. Career Byun In-chul was born in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, and attended Salesian High School in Gwangju. He took up law at Chosun University before droppin ...

, 2020 * Yoon Hang-gi, 2020 * Han Cheol-hee, 2021 * Lee Jang-hee, 2021 * Lee Choon-yeon, 2021 *

Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook ( ; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. He is considered as one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as world cinema in 21st century. ...

, 2022 *

Kang Soo-yeon Kang Soo-yeon (; August 18, 1966 – May 7, 2022) was a South Korean actress. An internationally acclaimed star from the mid-1980s to the end of the 1990s, she is often honorifically nicknamed as Korea's "first world star". Kang began her ac ...

, 2022

Bogwan (Precious Crown), 3rd Class

* Hai-Kyung Suh, 1980 *

Yanagi Sōetsu , also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, was a Japanese art critic, philosopher, and founder of the '' mingei'' (folk craft) movement in Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s. Personal life Yanagi was born in 1889 to Yanagi Narayoshi, a hydrographer of the ...

, 1984 *

, 2004 "`Old Boy' to Receive Order of Cultural Merit,"
Han Cinema (ROK). July 25, 2004, retrieved 2011-04-22 *

Shin Goo Shin Goo (; born Shin Sun-gi, ; August 13, 1936) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Theater Awards and nominations State honors Notes References External links Shin Goo Fan Cafeat Daum ...

, 2010 * Go Eun-jung, 2010 * Im Hee-chun, 2010 *

Shin Jung-hyeon Shin Jung-hyeon (, or ; born January 4, 1938), also transliterated as Shin Joong-hyun or Sin Junghyeon, is a South Korean rock guitarist and singer-songwriter often referred to as Korea's "Godfather of Rock." A pioneer of Korean rock music, S ...

, 2011 * Oh Seung-ryong, 2011 * Yoo Ho, 2011 *

Lee Ho-jae Lee Ho-jae (born January 3, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Lee debuted with the crime thriller ''The Scam (2009 film), The Scam'' (2009). It won Best New Director at the 46th Grand Bell Awards, 46th Grand Bell Awards i ...

, 2011 *

Na Moon-hee Na Moon-hee (; Na Kyung-ja, ; November 30, 1941) is a South Korean actress. Since 1960, Na has had a prolific acting career in television and film spanning more than five decades. She established a classic Korean mother persona with her TV drama ...

, 2012 *

Song Chang-sik Song Chang-sik (Hangul: 송창식; born 2 February 1947) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, who is considered one of the country's most important and influential musicians of the 1960s and 1970s. He debuted in 1968 as a member of the folk d ...

, 2012 *

Choi Eun-hee Choi Eun-hee (; November 20, 1926 – April 16, 2018) was a South Korean actress, who was one of the country's most popular stars of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1978, Choi and her then ex-husband, movie director Shin Sang-ok, were abducted to North ...

, 2014 * Kim Su-il, 2014 * Myung Kook-hwan, 2014 *

Kadir Topbaş Kadir Topbaş (8 January 1945 – 13 February 2021) was a Turkish architect, businessperson and politician who served as Mayor of Istanbul from 2004 to 2017. Biography He was born on 8 January 1945 in Altıparmak village of Yusufeli district ...

, 2014 * Kim Young-ok, 2018 *

Im Ha-ryong Im Ha-ryong (born Im Han-yong on October 31, 1952) is a South Korean actor and comedian. During the 1980s and 1990s, Im was one of Korea's foremost comedians (called "gag men") alongside Shim Hyung-rae and Kim Hyung-gon. As his brand of comedy b ...

, 2020 *

Song Jae-ho Song Jae-ho (born Song Jae-eon; 10 March 1937 – 7 November 2020) was a South Korean actor. Career He made his acting debut in 1959, and became best known for his work in 1970s and 1980s Korean cinema, notably ''Yeong-ja's Heydays'' (1975). S ...

, 2021 * Park In-hwan, 2021 * Noh Hee-gyeong, 2021 *

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...

, 2022 * Park Jin-sook, 2022 *

Huh Young-man Huh Young-man (born June 26, 1947) is a South Korean manhwa artist. Early life Huh Young-man was born Heo Hyeong-man in present-day Yeosu, a far southern coastal city of what is now South Jeolla Province, South Korea in 1947. He was the third ...

, 2022

Okgwan (Jeweled Crown), 4th Class

, 1987 *

Moon So-ri Moon So-ri (born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress, film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her acclaimed leading roles in '' Oasis'' (2002) and '' A Good Lawyer's Wife'' (2003). Career After graduating with a degree in Ed ...

, 2002 *

Choi Min-sik Choi Min-sik (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He received critical acclaim for his roles in '' Oldboy'' (2003), ''I Saw the Devil'' (2010) and '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014). For his role in ''Oldboy'', he won the Best ...

, 2004 — Choi Min-sik returned the decoration badge in 2006, protesting large cuts in support programs for the arts programs of the Korean government. *

Lee Byung-hoon Lee Byung-hoon (born October 14, 1944) is a South Korean television director and producer. Lee is best known for directing period dramas, notably ''500 Years of Joseon'' (1983-1990), '' Hur Jun'' (1999) and ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003). Career Lee ...

, 2006 *

Jeon Do-yeon Jeon Do-yeon (; born February 11, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She won Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, making her the second Korean actress to win an acting award at a prestigious film festival, and Best Performance by an Ac ...

, 2007 * Anthony Graham Teague, 2008 * Park Jae-sang (Psy), 2012 *

Lee Jung-jin Lee Jung-jin, (born May 25, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Early life Lee Jung-jin graduated from Konkuk University with a degree in horticulture before studying acting at Hanyang University. Career Lee worked as a fashion model before being d ...

, 2012 *

Jo Min-su Jo Min-su (; born January 29, 1965) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her role in the Kim Ki-duk film ''Pietà''. Career Jo Min-su graduated from a vocational high school, Gyungbok Girls' Commercial High School, and first entered ...

, 2012 *

, 2019

Hwagwan (Flower Crown), 5th Class

* Ji-young Kim, 1998"Korean National Ballet, Principal Dancers"
Korean National Ballet website. retrieved 2012-11-27 * Bae Yong-joon, 2008 *

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...

, 2018:

Kim Nam-joon Kim Nam-joon (; born September 12, 1994), known professionally as RM (formerly Rap Monster), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the leader of the South Korean boy band BTS. RM released his first solo mixtap ...

(RM),

Kim Seok-jin Kim Seok-jin (; born December 4, 1992), also known professionally as Jin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Kim has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: " Awake" in 2016, "Epiphan ...

(Jin), Min Yoon-gi (Suga), Jung Ho-seok (J-Hope), Park Ji-min, Kim Tae-hyung (V) and

Jeon Jung-kook Jeon Jung-kook (; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook (stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer. He is the youngest member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS. Jungkook has released three solo tracks as p ...

Class unknown

* Samuel Martin, 1994Martin, Samuel Elmo. ( 1996).

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Korean Overseas Information Service. (1997) ''A Handbook of Korea,'' 6th edition. Seoul, Korea: Seoul International Publishing House.

External links

{{Honors and decorations of South Korea Cultural Merit, Order