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| Song Kang-ho, center, poses with his prize at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, May 30. Yonhap |
Song Kang-ho received a hero's welcome in Korea on Monday after winning the country's first Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Song arrived at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, along with "Broker" director Hirokazu Kore-eda and his co-stars, where about 300 fans and journalists were celebrating the historic honor.
"Thank you to all Korean movie fans for your constant interest and support for Korean films," Song told reporters upon his arrival. "I thought this achievement wouldn't be possible without Korean fans' love and support."
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| Actor Song Kang-ho, second from right, director Hirokazu Kore-eda, left, and other cast members of the film, "Broker," pose for a photo after arriving at Incheon International Airport, May 30. Yonhap |
Song received the Best Actor honor at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France on Saturday (CET) for his performance in the Korean drama feature, "Broker," written and directed by Japanese auteur Kore-eda.
It is the first time Song has individually earned an award from Cannes, although he has starred in several Cannes-winning titles, including Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" (2019) and Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" (2009). He also served as a jury member at Cannes last year.
He is the first Korean male actor to win an acting award at Cannes and became the third Asian male performer awarded the prize after Hong Kong's Leung Chiu Wai for "In The Mood for Love" in 2000 and Japan's Yuya Yagira for "Nobody Knows" in 2004.
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| Actor Song Kang-ho poses for a photo with his Best Actor award, which he won at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his performance in the film, "Broker," upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, May 30. Yonhap |
Kore-eda, whose previous family drama, "Shoplifters," earned Cannes' top honor of the Palme d'Or in 2018, also appreciated the support of Korean fans for his first Korean-language project. "Broker" is his second film to bring a lead actor the Best Actor prize at Cannes after "Nobody Knows."
"Broker" depicts the relationships of characters formed through a baby box, a place for people anonymously to abandon newborns that they can't raise.
Song plays Sang-hyun, who steals an infant abandoned by its parents at a baby box to sell on the adoption black market.
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| Director Park Chan-wook, left, and actor Park Hae-il wave at reporters after arriving at Incheon International Airport, May 30. Yonhap |
Later in the day, director Park Chan-wook, who was named Best Director at Cannes for his romantic thriller, "Decision to Leave," was also given a warm welcome upon his arrival at the airport.
The award is his third award earned at Cannes, following the Grand Prix, the second-highest prize at the festival, for his thriller, "Oldboy," in 2003 and the Jury Prize for the horror, "Thirst," in 2009.
"I was longing for Best Actor and Actress awards, but I received a different one," he said in a brief interview with about 100 awaiting reporters, referring to his two lead actors, Park Hae-il and Tang Wei. "If my actors receive prestigious awards, that would help me cast good actors in my next project."
Park also said he is concerned about being pigeonholed as a director who makes boring arthouse movies after the multiple prizes.
"I'm worried that people might consider me as an arthouse movie director, which I'm not," he said. "I'm a filmmaker who makes commercial films that entertain many people."
He said he is now working on an American TV series titled "The Sympathizer" for HBO as the showrunner and co-director. (Yonhap)
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