The Korean Cultural Center LA(KCCLA) and Korea Creative Content Agency LA(KOCCA) held the ‘2023 Dari Awards’ ceremony at The Korea Center on Wednesday, December 6. In addition to the awards ceremony, a networking event took place following the ceremony where Dari Awards winners, industry figures from the media and entertainment industries.

For the past 18 years, the Dari Awards have been awarded to individuals and companies that have made a significant contribution to the promotion of Korean culture into the U.S. market by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It intends to establish a strong link between Korean and US media and entertainment businesses.

A total of three awards were presented.  The winner of the ‘Person of the Year’ was the Executive Director of Asian World Film Festival(AWFF), Georges Chamchoum, who has consistently screened and promoted Korean films at the AWFF every year.  Pearl Abyss America received the ‘Business of the Year’ award for raising awareness of Korean games in the United States through their MMORPG game ‘Black Desert’. Lastly, EnterMedia Content was selected as a winner of 'Best Business Partnership'. EnterMedia Content is a US based Korean production company that has produced 'The Good Doctor' based on Korean Drama and Apple series 'Pachinko'.

As part of this year's awards ceremony, CJ ENM's CGO Steve Chung delivered a key note address with the special session ‘Korean Soft Power on Global Stage’ to discuss the global impact of the Korean Wave and its future direction.

In order to introduce the excellence of Korean culture in the United States, the KCCLA will partner with various organizations and host various cultural events next year.