Director Hong Sang-soo on Feb. 24 delivers a speech after receiving the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for his new film "A Traveler's Needs" at the Berlin International Film Festival at the Berlinale Palast in Berlin. (Festival's official website)

By Park Hye Ri

Director Hong Sang-soo has won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for his new film "A Traveler's Needs" at the Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin.

The jury of the festival's competition category on Feb. 24 named Hong the winner at the ceremony held at the Berlinale Palast.

The Silver Bear is the second-highest honor of the festival after the Golden Bear Award. In 2022, Hong received the same prize for "The Novelist's Film," and now has won the Silver Bear five of the seven times he has been nominated for it. 

As Hong's 31st film, "A Traveler's Needs" is about a French woman named Iris (played by Isabelle Huppert) who comes to Korea and teaches French to two Korean women, I-song (Kim Seung-yun) and Won-ju (Lee Hye-young), and drinks makgeolli (milky rice wine) for comfort.

Another Korean director won an award at the festival. Kim Hye-young took the Crystal Bear Award for Best Film in the Generation Kplus section for youth for her debut film "It's Okay!" 

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon on Feb. 25 conveyed congratulatory messages to both directors Hong and Kim.

"These awards from the Berlin International Film Festival are a great achievement showing to the world the diversity and excellence of Korean cinema along with its higher image," the minister said. "I hope that you continue making attractive and wonderful works with unique perspectives that attract the attention of the times."

hrhr@korea.kr