CJ’s Miky Lee wins Asian Hall of Fame lifetime honor

CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee received the Centennial Medal of Lifetime Achievement at the Asian Hall of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday, local time, in recognition of more than three decades of efforts to bring Korean film, music and television to global audiences, CJ ENM said Sunday.

The medal that the 68-year-old Korean American businesswoman won recognizes individuals for long-term contributions to the industry, culture and cross-cultural collaboration.

“Culture is like oxygen. We may take it for granted, but we cannot live without it,” Lee said in her acceptance speech.

She also emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for younger generations of creators.

“Our greatest legacy is not simply what we have accomplished, but the opportunities we create for those who come after us,” she said. “I hope the next generation will dream bigger than we ever dared and challenge what we thought was impossible.”

Lee has played a central role in CJ’s expansion into entertainment since the 1990s. Key milestones include the group’s 1995 investment in DreamWorks and the opening of CGV Gangbyeon, Korea’s first multiplex cinema, in 1998.

In film, she served as an executive producer of Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” which became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2020. She was also the executive producer for Park Chan-wook’s 2022 film “Decision to Leave” and the Oscar-nominated “Past Lives” from 2023.

Lee reflected on CJ’s efforts to build platforms for Korean music, including Mnet, the MAMA Awards and KCON, which she helped build.

The MAMA Awards is a major annual K-pop music awards ceremony that began in 1999 as the Mnet Video Music Awards and later expanded internationally. It is hosted by CJ ENM and its music channel, Mnet. KCON is an annual festival and convention dedicated to Korean culture and K-pop that was launched in 2012 and is held in various locations around the world.

“We wanted to create a space where a new generation could discover local music and share their passion and creative ideas. That is why we launched Mnet,” she said, describing the channel as more than a broadcaster but a “community where artists, creators and fans could connect.”

Lee added that CJ’s long-running “Music Makes One” slogan had become reality as audiences in different countries with different languages come together through music.

Presenting the award was A2O Entertainment key producer and founder Lee Soo-man, who was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame last year. Miky Lee presented him with the honor at the 2025 ceremony.

“If I am the godfather of K-pop, then Miky Lee is the godmother of Korean culture,” Lee Soo-man said when presenting the award to Miky Lee.

He also pointed to CJ’s 1995 investment in DreamWorks as an early example of Miky Lee’s efforts to connect Korea with the global entertainment industry.

“Korea was hardly a major player in the global entertainment industry at the time, but Miky saw something others didn’t,” he said. “She was one of the people who saw the possibilities early and had the courage to act.”