Oscars 2021: Yuh-jung Youn becomes first Korean actor to win Academy Award

Actor beat category rivals including Glenn Close and Olivia Colman

Yuh-jung Youn has won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Oscars for Minari.

The South Korean actor beat out Glenn Close, Amanda Seyfried, Maria Bakalova and Olivia Colman to take home the trophy, after receiving universal acclaim for her performance as a feisty grandmother.

Youn’s win put her in the Oscar history books, as she is the first Korean actor to ever win an Academy Award.

Addressing her fellow nominees, Youn said: “We played different roles, so we cannot compete [with] each other. Tonight I’m here as just... I have just a little bit [of] luck. I think maybe, I’m luckier than you.”

Youn also thanked her “two boys who made me go out and work,” adding: “This is the result, because Mommy worked so hard.”

Youn, making a rare screen appearance in an American film, captured a string of accolades for Minari, which is based on the childhood of Korean American director Lee Isaac Chung.

The Screen Actors Guild and the British film and TV academy were among those that honoured Youn’s performance.

Elsewhere in her speech, Youn mocked presenter Brad Pitt for mispronouncing her name.

Keep up to date with all the latest developments from tonight’s Oscars here.