S. Korean Youn Yuh-jung of 'Minari' wins best supporting actress Oscar

SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- Youn Yuh-jung has won best supporting actress at this year's Academy Awards for her performance in the immigrant film "Minari," becoming the first South Korean to win an acting Oscar. At the awards ceremony held at Union Station in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday (U.S. time), Youn was awarded Best Actress in a Supporting Role, beating Maria Bakalova for "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Glenn Close for "Hillbilly Elegy," Olivia Colman for "The Father" and Amanda Seyfried for "Mank." It is the first time for a South Korean to clinch an Oscar in an acting category. Last year's best picture winner "Parasite" had no acting nominees even though it had an overall six nominations, including best director and original screenplay for Bong Joon-ho. And Youn became just the second Asian actress to win best supporting actress in Oscar history, following Japanese actress Miyoshi Umeki from the 1957's "Sayonara." Youn is also the third oldest supporting actress award recipient after 77-year-old Peggy Ashcroft for "A Passage to India" in 1985 and 74-year-old Josephine Hull for "Harvey" in 1951. In "Minari," Youn took the role of the untraditional grandmother named Soon-ja, who flies to the United States to help her daughter's family, which is starting a new life in rural Arkansas. She brought seeds of "minari," a watery herb that thrives in hostile ground, serving as a metaphor for the family's resilience and efforts to realize their American dream. Written and directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, "Minari" earned six nominations at this year's Academy Awards -- best picture for producer Christina Oh, best director and best original screenplay for director Chung, best actor for Korean American actor Steven Yeun, best supporting actress for Youn and best original score for Emile Mosseri. brk@yna.co.kr (END)