Germany-based composer Younghi Pagh-Paan on Jan. 10 won the 2020 Berlin Art Prize. (KCC in Germany)

By Min Yea-Ji and Kim Hwaya 

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo on Jan. 14 sent a congratulatory message to Germany-based composer Younghi Pagh-Paan for winning this year's Berlin Art Prize.

"It is both very meaningful and spectacular that composer (Pagh-Paan) is the first female and first Asian winner in the Berlin Art Prize's history," Park said, adding, "I hope that the composer passionately keeps promoting traditional Korean culture and art not only in Europe but also all over the world, and contributes to the promotion of musical composition and education."

Since 1948, the Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) in the German capital has awarded the prize. After 1971, the academy began to select one winner per year from one of six categories – music, fine arts, architecture, literature, performing arts and film –, thus each category honors an awardee every six years. Music is the category this year.

The awards ceremony will be held on March 18 at the academy and the attendees will include Klaus Lederer, Berlin's state senator for culture and Europe, the academy's president Jeanine Meerapfel and Korean Ambassador to Germany Jong Bumgoo.

Korea's Culture Ministry said Pagh-Paan, formerly a professor at the University of the Arts Bremen, is the most active ethnic Korean composer in Europe. Since 2016, the Korean Cultural Center in Berlin has awarded the annual International Younghi Pagh-Paan International Composition Prize to preserve and develop her musical works and expand international musical exchange.

Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) in Germany on Jan. 10 announced that Germany-based composer Younghi Pagh-Paan received this year's Berlin Art Prize. (Screen capture from Akademie der Künste's homepage)