Seoul: Shim Eun-kyung has been chosen as best actress by the Japanese film publication Kinema Junpo, becoming the first South Korean to win the honor.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the actress was given Best Actress in the publication's Best Ten award for her role in the Japanese film "Two Seasons, Two Strangers" by Sho Miyake.

"Thank for giving me this incredible award. I am already happy to have miraculously been able to be part of this film and am even happier to receive this award," she said. The film, a story about screenwriter Lee (Shim) traveling to a small snow-covered town while going through a slump, was also named Best Japanese Film.

Founded in 1919, Kinema Junpo is a Japanese film magazine widely known for its annual awards, Best Ten, one of the most prestigious honors in Japanese cinema. Since her debut in 2003, Shim has starred in multiple box office hits, such as "Sunny" (2011) and "Miss Granny" (2014), before starring in Japanese films, such as "The Journalist" (2019).