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CJ Entertainment Chief Wins World Business Award

CJ Group vice chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung, known as "Miky Lee" abroad, was given the World Business Award 2006 by World Award chief and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev in New York on Saturday.

The World Women's Awards are presented to women who make outstanding performance in a variety of fields.

The older sister of CJ chairman Lee Jae-hyun, she joined CJ Entertainment when it was established in 1995 and has led the group's entertainment sector. Lee played a decisive role in CJ's investment in DreamWorks, the Hollywood studio co-founded by Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

The award "will help CJ Entertainment find its way into the global market", Lee said. "I will do my best to create a good production environment where talented directors and actors can produce excellent work. My final goal is to help Korea gain influence in the Asian film industry".

CJ Entertainment will open a branch of its cinema chain CGV in Los Angeles next fall. Lee is confident about the success of Korean films in the global market. "Korean directors have lived through the most turbulent age and they have manifold stories to tell. I think such stories make wonderful movies", she said. Her greatest pleasure when she was studying at Harvard after graduating in home economics from Seoul National University was watching a movie once a week. "Many foreigners tell me how good Korean films are these days", Lee says. "I feel the improved status of Korean movies overseas over the past three years".

But she also has harsh but affectionate criticism for the Korean film industry. "Korea has recently produced some poor, rough-and-ready movies just relying on stars who are popular abroad amid the Korean Wave. But good stories, consistent storytelling and well-organized production are the key for the success of Korean movies abroad".

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