Provided by the Korea-Germany Network (ADeKo)
Actor Ye Soo-jung received the Culture Award at the ‘2026 ADeKo Awards’, organized by the incorporated association Korea-Germany Network (ADeKo / Chair Kim Hyo-joon).
Held at the Nine Tree Premier Rokaus Hotel Seoul Yongsan on Friday, February 27, the ‘ADeKo Awards’ were established to discover and publicize individuals who have contributed to exchanges and the development of relations between Korea and Germany. Since 2023, the awards have annually identified and widely recognized unsung contributors who have devoted themselves in every possible way to the development of both countries.
ADeKo described Ye Soo-jung’s journey as “a symbolic figure of the ‘Korea-Germany cultural circulation’ who transplanted the human-rights sensitivity and civic attitude she acquired while studying in Germany into Korean classrooms and onto the stage, and then helped spread them back out into the world,” explaining the background for the award.
Ye Soo-jung has consistently worked to help Korea and Germany face each other’s social responsibilities and scars through art. ADeKo highly evaluated her for raising the theme of “human dignity” through the film ‘69 Years Old’, and for introducing Germany’s legal and ethical discourse to Korea with the play ‘GOTT’, thereby expanding social dialogue beyond simple cultural introductions.
In response, Ye Soo-jung said, “I am truly grateful to receive this precious award from such esteemed people. I believe my job is to pose questions to the world. At times, the world provides answers, but there were also moments when I wanted to give up in the face of absurdity. In those moments, German literature, philosophy, and music offered me great comfort. Through this opportunity, I feel that, together with those I have met, we will look one another in the face, keep asking questions, find answers together, and become even more steadfast going forward.”
Moving between screen and stage, Ye Soo-jung has met audiences with performances that delicately capture the textures of life. The balance with which she builds a character’s inner world convincingly without exaggeration, and the focus that carries a work’s questions through to the end, are cited as her signature strengths. This award is significant not only as an achievement as an actor, but also because it officially recognizes her steady path of connecting with society and engaging with the world through art.
Meanwhile, Ye Soo-jung is scheduled to meet audiences with the play ‘GOTT’ on Saturday, March 7.
