Shim Eun-kyung wins Best Actress at Japan Academy Prize

Actress Shim Eun-kyung, 26, took home The Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in “The Journalist” at the 43rd Japan Academy Prize held in Tokyo, Japan on Friday. She is the first Korean actress to win the award since the annual awards began in 1978. In 2010, Bae Doo-na was nominated for the same award for her performance in “Air Doll.”

At the Japan Academy Prize, the winners of excellence awards automatically earn the nomination for the best awards. Shim was nominated with four other actresses including Fumi Nikaido of “Fly Me to the Saitama,” which was released in January.

The Korean actress who had a surprised look on her face shed tears on stage receiving the award. “I am sorry I did not prepare any speech because I did not expect this,” she said in Japanese. “I will continue to do my best. Thank you.”

Adapted from novel “The Journalist” by a Tokyo Shimbun reporter for the society page, the film depicts a political scandal in Japan, which bears similarities to the school scandal Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is involved in. The film was shown only at 143 movie theaters when it was released in June last year. Having received great reviews, however, it raked in more than 400 million yen in profit within a month.

Shim Eun-kyung was praised for her detailed performance in the movie. She learned Japanese for about a year and spoke in Japanese for her role of Korean Japanese journalist Yoshioka.


Seo-Hyun Lee baltika7@donga.com