Parasite actress Lee Jung Eun and Past Lives star Yoo Teo have been named as jury members for the Actor of the Year award at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.
Each year, this award recognizes one rising male and one rising female actor from the Korean independent films featured in the festival’s Vision section. A jury of respected veteran actors selects and presents the award in a symbolic gesture of passing the torch to a new generation of talent.
Jury member Lee Jung Eun is one of Korea’s most celebrated actors, best known to international audiences for her unforgettable performance as the housekeeper Moon Gwang in the Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019), a role that earned her a Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. A veteran of stage and screen, her recent credits include the hit K-dramas Mr. Sunshine and When the Camellia Blooms, as well as Bong Joon Ho’s film Okja (2017) and summer blockbuster My Daughter is a Zombie (2025).
Yoo Teo has become a global star following his critically acclaimed role in Past Lives (2023), for which he became the first Korean actor ever to be nominated for Best Leading Actor at the BAFTA Awards. He first gained international recognition in the Cannes competition film Summer (2018) and has since starred in projects like the drama series The School Nurse Files (2020) and the upcoming season of the American series The Recruit (2025).
The Actor of the Year award includes a cash prize of 5 million won (approximately $3,600). Lee Jung Eun and Yoo Teo will present the awards during the festival’s Busan Vision Awards ceremony.
The 30th Busan International Film Festival will run for 10 days, from September 17th to the 26th, at the Busan Cinema Center.
>> Claudia Kim Tapped to Host Busan International Film Festival’s Closing Night
Source: Busan International Film Festival
