Kim Jin-yeol wins the 2nd Park Su-geun Art Award

Kim Jin-yeol, a 65-year-old painter, has been selected as the winner of the Park Su-geun Art Award.

The award was created to honor the artistic sprit of Park Su-geun, a famous Korean painter (1914-1965), by the Dong-A Ilbo, Yanggu-county of Gangwon Province, the Gangwon Ilbo newspaper, K-Water, the Dongdaemun Future Foundation, and the Seoul Design Foundation.

Kim, a native of Gangneung in Gangwon Province, is a graduate from Hongik University with a major in applied arts and has lived and painted in Wonju, Gangwon Province, since 1986.

“We unanimously selected Kim as the winner," the panel of judges said on Monday. "Kim expressed trust and love towards humans and the nature that he faced in his life and the society where he belongs in his unique way.”

“I have worked believing that art should be a tower consisting of authenticity," Kim said. "I have thought Park Su-geun’s artistic world is high and pure and I am happy to win the award but also feel pressured.” He won the Gangwon Folks Art Award in 2010.

The award ceremony will be held at the Park Su-geun Museum in Yanggu-county on Feb. 24, the birthday of the legendary artist. A prize money of 30 million won (26,360 U.S. dollars) and a plaque will be presented to Kim.

Jee-Young Kim kimjy@donga.com