CJ Group vice chair Miky Lee received the Asian Hall of Fame’s Centennial Medal of Lifetime Achievement in Los Angeles, recognizing more than 30 years of work connecting Korean entertainment with audiences overseas. Presenting the medal, K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man described her as the “godmother of K-culture.”
Lee Soo-man, who founded SM Entertainment and is now key producer at A2O Entertainment, recalled that Miky Lee had introduced him at the same event a year earlier as the godfather of K-pop. The pair have known each other for more than 50 years, first meeting when he was a college student with an established singing and broadcasting career and she was in middle school.
The medal recognizes inductees for their character, contributions to their industries, cultural influence and work across racial boundaries. In his tribute, Lee Soo-man highlighted Miky Lee’s role in CJ’s 1995 investment in DreamWorks, the development of cinema operator CGV and the international expansion of the MAMA Awards and KCON. He recalled that CJ was still primarily associated with food when she recognized possibilities in entertainment.
Accepting the honor, Miky Lee described culture as essential to life. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Seoul, she traced that conviction to her grandfather, the founder of CJ and Samsung, whose saying was “No culture, no country!” She said she and her brother Jay embraced the idea as they considered how a food business could also entertain people through what they watched and heard.
Lee characterized the DreamWorks investment as an opportunity to learn from leading filmmakers rather than a pursuit of Hollywood glamour. CJ subsequently introduced CGV in 1998 as Korea’s first multiplex, expanded into cable television and launched production company Studio Dragon. She also discussed Mnet’s creation as a place where a younger generation could discover Korean music.
According to Lee, American pop once accounted for nearly 85% of songs broadcast on Korean television, but that balance had reversed by the 2000s. The MAMA Awards and KCON later brought the music community to cities including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Tokyo. MAMA began in 1999 as the Mnet Video Music Awards. KCON launched in the United States in 2012 and expanded beyond a K-pop festival to encompass Korean food, beauty and lifestyle.
Lee named Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon Ho, Lee Chang-dong and “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk among the Korean filmmakers she has worked with. She served as an executive producer of Bong’s “Parasite,” which won four Oscars in 2020 and became the first non-English-language film to win best picture. She also cited Lee Isaac Chung, “KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang and Celine Song as examples of filmmakers whose culturally rooted stories reach audiences beyond Asia.
Looking toward future generations, Lee emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for others. CJ ENM recently launched First Light StoryHouse to support projects by Asian creators through direct investment and co-production beginning in early development.
The Asian Hall of Fame, an educational and research institution recognizing Asian and Indigenous legacy, also honored Blackpink’s Rosé and Japanese baseball great Nomo Hideo at its 22nd induction ceremony. Guests included Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae, Yoshiki, Kang, Amy Homma, Lisa Joy, Maja Hoffmann and Ram Shriram.
