Vice Chairperson of CJ Group Miky Lee (right) holds her Global Citizen Award trophy with Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global, at the Atlantic Council’s ceremony in New York on Monday. (CJ Group)

Miky Lee, vice chair of CJ Group and its entertainment and media subsidiary CJ ENM, made history as the first Asian female entrepreneur to receive the Global Citizen Award at the Atlantic Council’s ceremony in New York on Monday.

“Entertainment may not have the power to end wars, but it does have the power to build bridges. Bridges of compassion, hope and empathy,” Lee told over 700 influential attendees at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, emphasizing the transformative power of culture, particularly through the global reach of Korean entertainment.

From films like "Parasite" to K-pop, she emphasized how Korean entertainment has sparked global conversations on issues like inequality and continues to connect people across cultural boundaries.

Lee said her vision for CJ Group was inspired by her grandfather, Lee Byung-chul, the founder of CJ and Samsung, who believed in the phrase “No culture, no country.” This ethos drove her to elevate Korean media to the global stage.

She also recalled CJ’s bold move in the 1990s to invest in DreamWorks, “learning from the best -- (Steven) Spielberg, (Jeffrey) Katzenberg and (David) Geffen -- and bringing that knowledge back to build our industry.”

She stressed the importance of creating platforms for the next generation to express themselves, advocating for more opportunities to share compassion and creativity in the digital age.

Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global, praised Lee for her “unshakable integrity and a passion for great stories.”

Echoing this sentiment, Jim Yong Kim, former president of the World Bank, recalled their time at Harvard: “Miky declared she would bring Korean culture to the world. We didn’t understand her vision back then, but she built K-pop, K-dramas and other K-genres from the ground up.”

Min Jin Lee, author of the novel "Pachinko," also lauded Lee as a “wondrous colossus” who imagines a hopeful world through art and narrative. “Miky is peerless in her creativity and talent and singular in her ability to nurture artistic communities without borders.”

Miky Lee has been pivotal in globalizing Korean cultural industries, earning accolades like the 2022 International Emmy Directorate Award and Korea’s Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2023.

She was an executive producer for award-winning "Parasite" and "Past Lives," and is currently producing "Bugonia," directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Lee has also founded K-pop festivals, KCON and the MAMA Awards, expanding their reach into the US, Europe and the Middle East while cementing her legacy as a leader in global cultural exchange.

By Park Li-na (linapark@heraldcorp.com)