Jeon Do-yeon may be a household name in Korea, but the actress was virtually unknown to the world up to this point.
She started off playing small roles on television, then hit a career milestone ten years ago with a movie that was both a critical and commercial success.
Sok Jongwook looks at Jeon's career. Jeon Do-yeon began her acting career in 1990 as a model in a cosmetics ad.
"I am so happy to be a cosmetics model. This is an auspicious event for our family.
She began appearing in TV dramas the same year, and made her film debut in 1997 in the hit movie "The Contact" as a lonely woman looking for love on the Internet.
Jeon won several Korean film awards that year, including best new actress, establishing her as an up and coming star.
Critics questioned the acclaim she received after she got the awards, but Jeon continued to gain popularity after starring in "The Promise" in 1998.
The tragic love story was a box office hit and firmly cemented her status as an A-list star in Korea.
The actress is known for fully immersing herself into a wide spectrum of roles from a cheating wife to a female oyster diver earning her the nickname "chameleon".
2005 was also a banner year for Jeon as she was named best actress by four Korean film festivals for playing a prostitute with AIDS in "You are my Sunshine".
Her brilliant success two years ago had many critics wondering if she had more to offer movie fans.
The answer is obviously yes with her award from Cannes.
But the bigger message in her latest honor could be that the world is starting to pay more attention to Korean actors as well as Korean movies.
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