The late poet Yun Dong-ju has been posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, South Korea's highest cultural decoration, 81 years after his death. The late Kim Nam-jo, regarded as a leading female poet of the 1960s, received the same honor.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young presented awards to 36 people at the 2026 Culture and Arts Merit Awards held on the 26th at Modu Art Theater in Seoul's Seodaemun District. The honors included the Order of Cultural Merit for 17 recipients, the Korea Culture and Arts Award with a presidential citation for six, the Young Artist of Today Award with a ministerial citation for eight, and the Award for Devoted Parents of Artists with a ministerial citation for five.
Yun is considered one of Korea's foremost poets, known for lyrical verse that captured the nation's suffering and spirit of resistance under Japanese colonial rule. The Yun Dong-ju Memorial Foundation recently applied for the decoration on his behalf, and he was selected after a rigorous government review. Kim, honored on the same day, was recognized for writing more than 1,000 poems and essays over some 70 years and for contributing to the development of modern Korean literature.
Five people received the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit: cartoonist Lee Hyun-se, poet Yoo An-jin, actors Jeon Mu-song and Park Jung-ja, and the late visual artist Chung Sang-hwa. Six received the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit: hanbok designer Kim Hye-soon, video director Park Kyung-sam, poet Kim Kwang-kyu, novelist Kim Hong-shin, pianist Seo Gye-sook and dancer Kim Sook-ja. Three received the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit: the late sijo master Lee Young-jun, the late dancer Moon Byung-nam and master stone craftsman Yoon Man-geol. Architect Chun Eui-young received the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit.
The ministry has selected and honored contributors to the development of culture and the arts every year since 1969. In a congratulatory address, Choi said, "K-culture today stands on the dedication and sacrifice of these recipients," adding that the ministry "will do its utmost so that artists of the present and the future can work in better conditions than they do now."