Chairman, State Planning Commission Kwang Rin Kim of Korea, North

Kim is the first Korean celebrity to receive the International Cooperation Award, whose previous winners include Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung.

Kim has appeared in all four "season series" of drama director Yoon Seok-ho, including "Winter Sonata" and "Summer Scent.

Kim is also one of the few middle-aged Korean celebrities to appear in a Japanese TV commercial.

Any policy proposed by Kim is considered a supreme order and becomes a law,” Park said.

The 65-year-old Kim has yet to name his successor, raising questions worldwide whether the reclusive leader is considering a collective ruling system after his death.

Kim was named as successor to his father, the founder of North Korea Kim Il-sung, at the age of 32 in 1974.

He has three sons from two marriages, but his oldest son, Jong-nam, 35, has apparently fallen out of favor following a 2001 incident in which the junior Kim was thrown out of Japan after trying to enter the country with a forged passport.

Kim is also seen directly intervening in a resolution of the nuclear issue.