Youn Yuh-jung presents award at 94th Academy Awards

K-pop

Published: 28 Mar. 2022, 13:57

Youn Yuh-jung presents award at 94th Academy Awards

American actor Troy Kotsur, left, accepts the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor from Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27. [AFP/YONHAP]

Actor Youn Yuh-jung presented an award at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Youn presented the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor to Troy Kotsur for his role in the film “Coda” (2021), signing Kotsur’s name in the American Sign Language before saying it out loud.

Kotsur, an American actor, is hearing impaired. He is the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar. Until Kotsur’s win, American actress Marlee Matlin, who won Best Actress in 1987, was the only deaf person to receive an Academy award.

Prior to handing out the award, Youn humorously apologized for potential mispronunciations.

“Last year, I complained about my name being mispronounced in public, and I’m so sorry because I’ve looked at the incredible nominees of this category that I have to pronounce,” she said. “Please forgive me in advance.”

Youn was dressed in black with a blue ribbon pin that read “#WithRefugees” to show her support for Ukrainian war refugees.

Youn won an Oscar herself for Best Supporting Actress last April for her role in “Minari” (2020), Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung’s film about first-generation Korean immigrants in the 1980s, partially based on his childhood. She made history as the first Korean to win an Oscar for an acting role.

Apple TV+’s series “Pachinko,” which stars Youn, is currently available for streaming.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]