Lee Ilwoo of musical band Jambinai, a graduate of the School of Korean Traditional Arts, and filmmaker Jung July, a graduate of the School of Film, TV & Multimedia, were selected as the awardees of the 68^th Young Artist Award in categories of music and film, respectively, by the National Academy of Arts (NAA). While it is one of the most prestigious awards in the field in Korea dating back to 1955, it recognizes artists who made significant contributions to research, creative activities, or other exploits in arts to encourage their creative endeavors and advancement of the arts and culture.

Lee Ilwoo earned appreciation for introducing traditional Korean music to pop culture in the modern context by leading the band Jambinai of five members who are also class of 2001 graduates of the School of Korean Traditional Arts. 

Jung July directed Next Sohee (2022) and A Girl at My Door (2014) as her representatives. Having been invited to Cannes Film Festival and released in France, Japan, and Taiwan, her works earned recognition for outstanding screenplay and directing.

The Young Artist Award was installed in 2022 to honor young prospective artists who demonstrated their competence through their activities or accomplishments for over 5 years. It has 4 evaluation categories, literature, fine art, music, and drama/film/dance. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of South Korea selected this year’s awardees in the previous periodic general meeting. The award ceremony will take place on the upcoming 5 September.