The National Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art (MMCA) has awarded the Korean Artist Prize 2025 to Kim Young-eun, whose work centers on sound and listening. Kim treats sound and listening as phenomena shaped by social, political and historical forces. She meticulously records sounds gathered across different places and times, revealing overlooked aspects of everyday life from new perspectives, according to MMCA on Thursday. Her recent works, "Listening Guests" and "Go Back To Your," both produced last year, examine how the migratory and translational conditions of diaspora create communal forms of existence that extend beyond individual experience. The museum praised Kim for her ability to capture the social and political contexts embedded in sound, producing powerful artwork that connects themes like diaspora to personal experience. Since 2012, the national art museum has co-sponsored the annual prize with the SBS Culture Foundation to recognize outstanding artists with keen insight into society and art. Each finalist receives 50 million won ($34,000) to support their artwork, with th