Ryu Seong-hie, the first recipient of the award, is a prominent Korean Production Designer who majored in ceramics at Hongik and studied film at the American Film Institute (AFI). She has established a distinguished career through numerous works, including Memories of Murder (2003), Oldboy (2003), The Host (2006), Thirst (2009), The Front Line (2011), Ode to My Father (2014), Assassination (2015), Decision to Leave (2022) and more. Notably, she has frequently collaborated with director Park Chan-wook, and with The Handmaiden (2016), she became the first Korean to win the Vulcan Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, demonstrating the world-class level of Korean film art.