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Miky Lee, second from left, vice chairwoman of CJ Group, celebrates after director Bong Joon-ho’s film “Parasite” wins Finest Image on the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Feb. 9, 2020. Reuters-Yonhap
It’s possible you’ll not know her title, however you’ve got seemingly seen the influence of her work.
From introducing multiplex cinemas to Korea to backing filmmakers who would later redefine world cinema, Miky Lee has spent many years constructing the muse of an trade that now instructions world consideration. Lengthy earlier than “Parasite” launched her to the world stage, she was already remodeling how Korean tales had been created, distributed and shared with the world.
The CJ Group vice chairperson’s legacy was acknowledged as soon as once more as she earned a spot as the one Korean on Forbes’ 50 Over 50 International 2026 record — becoming a member of influential figures similar to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Oscar-winning actor Penelope Cruz.
The U.S. enterprise journal praised Lee for her enduring management and transformative function in shaping Korea’s cultural trade and its world rise. Whereas many within the West first grew to become acquainted with Lee after the historic Oscar win of “Parasite” in 2020, Forbes famous that her affect stretches again a lot additional.
“Although the world first realized her title in 2019, when she served as a producer for ‘Parasite’ — which in 2020 grew to become the primary non-English-language movie to win the Oscar for Finest Image — Lee has been influential in Korean filmmaking for many years,” the journal wrote.
Born in 1958 in Michigan, Lee is the granddaughter of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul and the daughter of his eldest son, Lee Maeng-hee. Regardless of her place in one in all Korea’s strongest enterprise dynasties, she solid her personal path in a completely completely different discipline: leisure.
Her journey started in 1994 when she based the leisure division of CJ Group, a daring transfer on the time for a food-focused conglomerate. Her determination to enter the fledgling Korean movie trade was seen as unconventional and her transfer to turn out to be a founding investor in Hollywood’s DreamWorks signaled her world ambitions from the beginning.
Her determination laid the muse for CJ ENM, now one in all Asia’s main content material producers. From backing home blockbusters to distributing worldwide hits, Lee performed a central function in turning Korean cinema into a world pressure.
Certainly one of Lee’s most groundbreaking strikes was introducing the multiplex cinema mannequin to Korea, altering how movies had been consumed and making a steady, scalable distribution system. This revolutionized the home market, giving rise to sustained viewers progress and professionalized manufacturing techniques.
Business officers level out that Lee’s contribution to Korean cinema just isn’t solely about particular person movies, but additionally concerning the basis of the trendy trade.
“I consider that one in all Lee’s biggest achievements within the improvement of the movie trade was the introduction of the multiplex cinema system to Korea,” an official from the native movie trade stated on situation of anonymity. “By modernizing the way in which audiences devour movies, she created a sustainable ecosystem for progress.”
Miky Lee, left, vice chairwoman of CJ Group, poses with director Park Chan-wook as they arrive for the Academy Museum Gala on the Academy Museum of Movement Photos in Los Angeles, Oct. 15, 2022. AFP-Yonhap
Her willingness to take dangers on infrastructure and expertise was the catalyst for the Korean movie scene to blow up. She persistently backed administrators — together with Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho — via funding and improvement alternatives lengthy earlier than they grew to become family names, enjoying a vital function in nurturing artistic expertise.
That dedication translated into landmark movies. Lee served as producer on Bong’s 2013 English-language debut “Snowpiercer,” which expanded Korean cinema’s attain into the worldwide market, and afterward “Parasite.”
She can be behind Park Chan-wook’s “Resolution to Go away” and “No Different Alternative,” each of which strengthened Korean cinema’s presence on the worldwide competition circuit.
Regardless of her central function, Lee has persistently deflected credit score towards the creators and the audiences.
“I actually wish to thank director Bong. Thanks for being you,” she stated in her Oscar acceptance speech for “Parasite.”
“What I actually like about him is his humorousness and … he by no means takes himself significantly.”
She additionally gave due to Korean moviegoers, calling them the driving pressure behind the trade’s evolution.
“Our moviegoers … by no means hesitated to offer us an easy opinion on what they really feel like (in) their films,” Lee stated. “That made us actually by no means have the ability to be complacent and maintain pushing the administrators (and) the creators (to) maintain pushing the envelopes.”
Movie trade insiders agree that her influence on artistic improvement was simply as essential as her enterprise management.
“It’s also one in all her main contributions that she offered steady funding and assist for rising filmmakers, permitting them to develop their distinctive artistic fashion and advance their careers to the worldwide stage,” the movie trade official stated.
Lee’s affect hasn’t slowed. In July 2025, she co-founded First Mild StoryHouse, a content material label devoted to spotlighting Asian and Asian American creators.
“Current successes from Asian storytellers have proven the potential and authenticity of their tales. By way of this effort, we purpose to highlight these voices, believing within the energy of storytelling to bridge cultures,” she stated on the launch.
As Korean content material grows on world platforms, Lee continues to behave as a bridge between the home trade and Hollywood. Her ongoing work ensures that Asian tales keep a constant presence within the worldwide market.
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