Geum Nan-sae, music director of the Eurasian Philharmonic Orchestra, received the 30th Sejong Cultural Award in arts, actress Kim Hye-ja in social volunteering and Ahn Hwi-joon, professor emeritus of art history at Seoul National University, for academia.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism annually confers the awards to individuals and organizations in recognition of their contributions to creating or advancing the country’s culture. The name of the award celebrates the creative spirit of the Joseon Dynasty’s King Sejong (1397-1450), who invented Hangeul.

The Institute for Translation of Korean Classics received the award for national culture.

The three individuals and the institute received their awards and 30 million won in prize money, each, from Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik at the culture ministry in Seoul on Thursday.

Conductor Geum set up small youth orchestras in remote areas of Korea, giving underprivileged children opportunity to be exposed to classical music.

Kim, a goodwill ambassador for World Vision, has been actively engaged in volunteering to help people suffering from famine and natural disasters in Ethiopia, Keyna and Pakistan since 1991.

Ahn was recognized for pioneering the study of history of Korean painting.

The Institute for Translation of Korean Classics started its translation projects in 1966 and has published 549 translated books as of 2010.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)