Veteran entertainers win cultural order

Four veteran entertainers, Cho Yong-pil, Gu Bong-seo, Ahn Sung-ki and Patti Kim, are to receive the Order of Cultural Merit from the Korean government.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Sunday, the four entertainers have been selected to receive the silver crown medal, Korea’s second-highest cultural honor.

Cho was recognized for his enormous impact on the Korean pop music scene and for remaining one of the most influential figures in the country more than 45 years after his debut. He released his 19th album “Hello” this year.

Gu, whose comedy career is in its 60th year, is known for ushering in the heyday for Korean comedy in 1960s and 1970s. He starred in more than 300 comedy movies.

Ahn has starred in more than 100 movies since his debut in 1957 and contributed to the development of the cultural industries by serving at top posts in cultural organizations and committees, including as goodwill ambassador to the Korean committee for UNICEF and as chief of the Good Downloader campaign, which promotes legal movie downloads.

Kim, who recently held a concert marking her retirement ending a prolific 55-year singing career, is credited with having helped pop music take root in the Korean music scene.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)