(From left) Miky Lee, vice chair of CJ Group and CJ ENM, UAE’s Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, and Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, pose for a photo during the Abu Dhabi Festival Award ceremony held in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. (CJ ENM)

ABU DHABI -- Miky Lee, vice chair of CJ Group and its entertainment and media subsidiary CJ ENM, has won this year’s Abu Dhabi Festival Award, a top honor offered to individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to culture and the arts.

The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation held the award ceremony in the UAE capital Saturday. Lee attended the event in person to receive the award.

The annual award, inaugurated in 2012 by the foundation in association with the Swiss luxury brand Chopard, has thus far honored some 40 international figures to recognize their roles in spurring artistic creativity and fostering cultural exchanges across borders.

The previous recipients include Placido Domingo, the Spanish opera singer, Riccardo Muti, the Italian conductor, Quincy Jones, the US producer, and Yo-yo Ma, the American cellist.

This is the first time that a Korean national has won the prestigious award.

Lee, 65, is considered one of the most influential figures in the Korean film and culture industry. More recently, she has been acclaimed for her production roles in award-winning films, including “Parasite (2019),” “Decision to Leave (2022),” and “Past Lives (2024).”

She is also a key driving force behind K-pop’s global success, creating KCON, the world’s largest K-culture festival that travels around the world to spread Korean culture and music.

She was awarded the Geumgwan Order of Culture Merit by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in 2023. In December last year, Hollywood Reporter also named her one of the 100 most powerful women in Hollywood.

By Korea Herald correspondent

Lee Ji-yoon