Since 2004, Time magazine has selected 100 people each year that they find to be the most influential in the world. This year’s list includes three Koreans: Poet Cathy Park Hong and two of the lead actors from the groundbreaking Korean American film Minari, Steven Yeun and Youn Yuh-jung.
The 18th annual list of influential people includes pioneers, artists, leaders, icons, titans and innovators. Time Magazine has issued seven special, worldwide covers, one of which features Korean American Cathy Park Hong. Also honored this year are US. President Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
Past Koreans selected for Time 100 have included Bong Joon Ho, BTS, and Jeong Kyung-eun, Korea’s Coronavirus Czar who won praise and admiration from around the world for her work in quickly containing the Covid-19 in Korea.
Cathy Park Hong
Cathy Park Hong wrote Minor Feelings, An Asian American Reckoning (2020), a powerful book of essays that became a New York Times Bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner. It’s been called a ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged, and utterly original exploration of the Asian American consciousness.
Steven Yeun
Steven Yeun is an actor and producer who starred in Minari (2020), earning him critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Asian American actor to receive this honor.
Youn Yuh-jung
Youn Yuh-jung is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. In 2020 she won an an Academy Award for her performance in Minari.
