[Anchor]
Youn Yuh-jung has made history, becoming the first Korean actor to win an Academy Award, and it's likely to add fresh momentum to the Korean movie industry and its growing popularity.
Julie Sohn reports.
[Clip: Brad Pitt]
"And the Oscar goes to Yuh-jung Youn!"
[Reporter]
Youn Yuh-jung took home the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in "Minari."
She is just the second Asian to capture the category, following Japanese actress Miyoshi Umeki, who received the golden statue in 1957.
Youn thanked director Lee Isaac Chung and crew in her acceptance speech, while charming the audience again with her witty remarks.
[Clip: Youn]
"Tonight, I have a little bit of luck, I think. Maybe I am luckier than you. Also, maybe, it's American hospitality for the Korean actor, I am not sure."
She was able to capture the hearts of global audiences through her depiction of the universal language of emotions, as movie critic Jason Bechervaise explains.
(Screenshot of film critic Jason Bechervaise via Zoom)
[Clip: Bechervaise]
"Something happened that she cannot speak, and you then get to see a very different side of her. For me, that was an incredibly rich, deep, layered performance without saying anything. And I think that it is something that always resonates with the Academy."
And many believe Youn's win could herald the opening of a new chapter for the Korean film industry, following the international success of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film "Parasite."