By Kwak Yeon-soo
Youn Yuh-jung was named Best Supporting Actress by the Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) for her performance in the film Minari, raising the hope that she might become Korea s first actor to win an Oscar nomination.
The 73-year-old actress was also a runner up in the National Society of Film Critics Supporting Actress category, following winner Maria Bakalova of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and Amanda Seyfriend of Mank.
Directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, Minari depicts the experiences and struggles of first-generation immigrants from Korea in the 1980s, who settle in the U.S. in pursuit of their own American dream. Yoon plays the role of an eccentric grandmother named Soon-ja who changes the life of her family after moving to the U.S.