Song Hye Kyo won Best Actress Award in TV Drama in the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards, while Park Eun Bin won the coveted Daesang Grand Prize.
In the runup to the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards (BAA) broadcast live by JTBC on Friday, April 28 at 1730h KST (1630h in Manila), major dailies in Asia and the Western world, as well as social media platforms were abuzz about who would take home the plum trophy this year — the Best Actress Award in a TV Drama. TikTok also streamed the ceremony from Incheon Paradise City.
The race for the Best Actress in a television drama category was very fierce this year with the compleat artist Park Eun Bin in the title role of Extraordinary Attorney Woo going neck to neck with Song Hye Kyo who has made a spectacular reentry into the K-Drama scene with her chilling avenger in The Glory.
But, it was not only the Best Actress race that made this year’s edition of the BAA a much anticipated event. The race for the Best Actor Award was also most interesting with very noteworthy contenders and the absence of a hallyu star many netizens expected to be on the list.
The most prestigious award in the Korean entertainment industry, the Baeksang gives the nod to excellence in film, television, and theater. First introduced in 1965 by Chang Key Young (pen name Baeksang), founder of the newspaper Hankook Ilbo, the awards has given yearly recognition to some of the most popular actors and catapulted newbies into the ranks of the hallyu stars.
The Basksang is well respected for transcending networks and production studios and gives an interesting insight into the most finely crafted and acted productions in TV, film, and theater. It is to the Korean entertainment industry, and its legions of followers not only in Asia but globally, the Oscar, the Emmy, and the Tony Awards consolidated in one trophy.
The excitement started on April 7 when the BAA opened its official website and announced the final nominees in the three categories in stellar productions from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
Now, on to the race for the Best Actress in a television drama. The competition between Park Eun Bin and Song Hye Kyo has been particularly fierce because both highly competent actors essayed the roles of very well-written characters in dramas centered on remarkable women. In Extraordinary Attorney Woo, our genius lawyer with autism fought for her place in a very complex milieu by surviving seemingly insurmountable challenges to fit into the highly competitive Hanbada law firm. In The Glory, the avenging Moon Dong Eun succeeded in carrying out her revenge. SHK’s Moon Dong Eun’s abject poverty exposed her to the gang of merciless and unrepentant bullies as a high school student whom she all demolished in the end.
What makes their performances unforgettable is that PEB and SHK totally immersed themselves in the roles they played that viewers are completely drawn into their world and forget that they are seeing not PEB but the moving and unforgettable performance of the brilliant, rookie lawyer with autism holding an entire courtroom in thrall. Also, thoroughly in the grip of Moon Dong Eun executing her relentless and cathartic revenge against her tormentors, audiences entirely forget the beautiful SHK and see only the avenger in The Glory.
In the huge debates across social media platforms here are some comments from the popular Korean forum theqoo on who should bring home the Daesang:
Park Eun Bin’s character is more complicated, so I believe she is the winner. She can probably play Moon Dong Eun, but I don’t think Song Hye Kyo can play Woo Young Woo.
If Song Kye Kyo wins Best Actress, then Park Eun Bin should win the Daesang.
I think, both of them have done an extremely great job, but Park Eun Bin is the “spotlight” of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, while the entire cast of The Glory contributed to its success.
I like The Glory way better, and it was Song Hye Kyo’s drastic acting transformation, so my vote goes to her.
My own bias and fearless forecast—Song Hye Kyo has successfully reinvented herself
My own bias and fearless forecast.
Song Hye Kyo has successfully reinvented herself and ignited that spark to her moribund career. Her avenging Moon Dong Eun will stay in viewers’ memories long after the drama’s last episode rolls.
Park Eun Bin, in becoming genius lawyer Woo Young Woo has totally immersed herself in the character and created for viewers one of the most unforgettable and endearing characters in K-Dramaland. Her Woo Young Woo was also much more complex and layered than the singularly vengeful Moon Dong Eun. She is my bet for this year’s Daesang.
But, whether it is Park Eun Bin or Song Hye Kyo who brings home the Daesang, K-Drama watchers would have been well served in a year with a rich harvest of the most notable television dramas and unforgettable performances of the best in the industry.
Other nominees for the Best Actress trophy are: Kim Ji Won, My Liberation Notes and Kim Hye Soo, Under the Queen’s Umbrella.
My Liberation Notes Official poster
Under the Queen’s Umbrella Official poster
The Best Actor in a TV drama
This year’s race for the Best Actor in a television drama has also turned out to be one of the most interesting in the roster of the Baeksang Art Awards. Leading the contenders in the list of seasoned actors are Lee Sung Min as the chaebol grandfather Jin Yang Chul in Reborn Rich and Jung Kyung Ho as Choi Chi Yeol in Crash Course in Romance.
Reborn Rich Official poster
The other nominees are Son Suk Ku of My Liberation Notes, Lee Byung Hun, Our Blues; Choi Min Sik, Casino.
Noticeably absent from this list is Song Joong Ki.
Despite the overwhelming success of Reborn Rich its other lead actor was bypassed for the Baeksang to the disappointment of many of his and the drama’s fans. To this, netizens have commented that the drama’s other leading actor, the grandfather had a more complicated character that dominated the entire drama from beginning to end. Lee Sung Min (LSM), a veteran character actor portrayed the chaebol grandfather brilliantly, his presence even after his death looming over the entire narrative.
The other frontrunner in the race for Best Actor, Jung Kyung Ho as the star cram school teacher who did not know how to be in a love relationship in Crash Course in Romance, brought a certain charm to his character that grew on audiences as he learned to love as the drama unfolded. JKH, who has ably played varied roles in a steady career gives LSM strong competition.
Best Supporting Actors in a TV drama
The contenders for Best Supporting Actor are Park Sung Hoon as Jeon Jae Joon in The Glory and Kang Ki Young in Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
My bias or personal choice is Kang Ki Woo.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo Official poster
In the race for best supporting actress are Lim Ji Yeon as Park Yeon Jin and Yeom Hye Ran as Kang Hyeon Nam, both in The Glory. Both these actors played very vital roles in moving forward the storyline of the drama and in Moon Dong Eun’s carrying out her ultimate plan for revenge. Lim Ji Hyeon as villain to Song Hye Kyo’s character matched the latter’s intensity in every scene they were together. Heom Hye Ran gave a very nuanced performance as SHK’s cohort.
Netizens have sounded out the possibility of the two actors above sharing the award for Best Supporting Actress. If this happens, it will be a much lauded decision. My own bias leans towards the two being cited jointly.
Another category that has gained attention is that for best rookie performances. For Best Actor, nominated are: Kin Gun Woo as Son Myeong Oh in The Glory and Joo Jong Hyuk as Kwon Min Woo in Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Their roles are so diametrically different, but whoever brings home the award will be more than deserving of it.
In the Best Rookie Actress, I wouldn’t mind both nominees sharing the award, again for giving highly arresting and marked portrayals. These are Kim Hiera as Sa Ra in The Glory and Joo Hyun Young as Dong Geu Ra Mi in Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
There, whoever brings home the plum on Friday night, netizens will have been treated to one of the most exciting Baeksang Art Awards in the last few years.
