Olympians Oh Sang-uk, Shin Yu-bin and chef Edward Lee honored for raising Korea's global image

Fencer Oh Sang-uk, chef Edward Lee and table tennis player Shin Yu-bin were awarded the Korea Image Awards on Wednesday for elevating Korea’s image on the world stage.

Recipients of this year's Korea Image Award pose with President of Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) Choi Jung-hwa at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Wednesday. From left are fencer Oh Sang-uk, table tennis player Shin Yu-bin, CICI President Choi and chef Edward Lee. [COREA IMAGE COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE]

Fencer Oh Sang-uk, chef Edward Lee and table tennis player Shin Yu-bin were awarded the Korea Image Awards on Wednesday for elevating Korea’s image on the world stage.

“Both sports and food highlight harmony and community,” said Choi Jung-hwa, president of the event’s host Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. “I give my sincerest congratulations to the awardees who granted us such joy with the people we love, and further boosted the image of Korea.”

CICI is an affiliate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focused on public diplomacy and promoting Korean culture worldwide.

Fencer Oh Sang-uk, left, receives an award from President of Corea Image Communication Institute Choi Jung Hwa, at the Korea Image Awards on Wednesday at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [COREA IMAGE COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE]

Wednesday’s Korea Image Awards honored Oh with the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award, which recognizes a Korean who heightened Korea’s global image.

The 28-year-old fencer became the first Korean to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is also the first Asian to achieve a career Grand Slam in fencing, having won gold at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, World Championships and the Olympics.

The key to his achievements is focus, Oh said. “I give it my all, even in small competitions as well. My thought process is that if I can’t do it there, I wouldn’t be able to do it in a bigger contest.”

As a successful fencer today, the most memorable moment of his career was when he first became part of Team Korea. “I had dreamed of that moment and wanted to be like those players, so the thought that I could be part of that team gave me so much happiness.”

Chef Edward Lee, left, receives an award from President of Corea Image Communication Institute Choi Jung Hwa, at the Korea Image Awards on Wednesday at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [COREA IMAGE COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE]

The Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award, which is given to a foreigner, was awarded to Lee.

The 52-year-old Korean American was a finalist on Netflix’s cooking survival show “Culinary Class Wars” (2024), which topped the streaming chart’s worldwide rankings for three consecutive weeks.

“It is an honor to receive this award here today,” said Lee, who prepared a speech in Korean. “The last few months have served as a time for me to reflect on who I am as Lee Kyun [Lee's Korean name]. So many in Korea have shown love and support for me, and now I think I truly understand what the Korean jeong means.”

Jeong is a uniquely Korean concept that depicts the emotional, loyal and affectionate bond between people.

Lee especially wanted to thank his mother who had traveled with him to Korea for the awards.

“She is the person who raised me to be the strong person that I am today,” he said.

His mother joined Lee on the stage after his speech and expressed her awe at her son’s newfound fame.

“I am overwhelmed,” she said, and cited a Korean proverb that roughly translates to: “I never thought I would live to see this day!”

Table tennis player Shin Yu-bin, left, receives an award from President of Corea Image Communication Institute Choi Jung-hwa, at the Korea Image Awards on Wednesday at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [COREA IMAGE COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE]

The Korea Image Flowerstone Award, given to an emerging key figure, went to 20-year-old table tennis prodigy Shin, who won two bronze medals at the Olympics last year.

At just 14 years old, she became the youngest member to join Korea’s national table tennis team. Two years later, she made history as the country’s youngest-ever Olympian in the sport.

At the Korea Image Awards, Shin said she practices diligently and makes time to hang out with her friends. "I really like K-pop, so I go to concerts occasionally,” she said.

She hoped that there will be more opportunities to make her country proud. “My goal is to become a player who consistently improves, sets good records and remains personable.”

This year’s awards included a Special Homage category, honoring all the translators of Korean literature — with translated works currently receiving increased global recognition. Most notably, Han Kang, best known for “The Vegetarian” (2017), received the Nobel Prize in Literature last year. Over the past five years, Korean literature has received over 20 international literary awards.

CICI described translators as “unsung heroes” and artists in their own right, as they translate not only the literal language but also the culture and emotion within it.

“Translation is not merely the task of converting one language into another; it is an art form that reinterprets a work so that foreign readers, with different cultural backgrounds, can feel the emotions of the text.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]