K-Drama Fans Divided Over Who Will Win Best Actress at Baeksang Arts Awards

 

It's awards season once again and in Korea, drama fans began to gather their predictions for the upcoming Baeksang Arts Awards. As of today, no announcement has been made yet for the final nominees.

Baeksang Arts Awards is Korea's most prestigious award-giving body for excellence in film, television, and theatre. And it's often the most attended ceremony by Korean celebrities. 

Baeksang Arts Awards trophies

The awards were first introduced in 1965. It was established for the development of Korean popular culture and art and for enhancing the morale of artists.

Baeksang Arts Awards are annually presented at a ceremony organized by Ilgan Sports and JTBC Plus. It is the only comprehensive awards ceremony in South Korea.

Baeksang Arts Awards often measured the acting skill of Korean actors and actresses. Those who won these awards often have increased recognition in their acting ability. 

Last year's Baeksang Best Actress award winner was Kim Tae-ri for her portrayal in the coming-of-age drama, Twenty-Five Twenty-One. While the Best Actor winner went to the veteran, Lee Jun-ho, from the drama, The Red Sleeve.

Park Eun-bin in Extraordinary Attorney Woo

This year's Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Actress looks like a tight race between Kim Hye-Soo for Under the Queen's Umbrella, Song Hye-Kyo for The Glory, and Park Eun-bin for Extraordinary Attorney Woo. 

There are several Korean Drama actresses praised for their portrayals in the drama last year, however, Kim Hye-Soo, Song Hye-Kyo, and Park Eun-bin are recognized as the actresses who excelled in portraying their respective roles. Song Hye-Kyo's The Glory was aired on December 31, 2022, so it is considered part of 2022 releases.

Song Hye-kyo in The Glory

Among the three, it's Kim Hye-Soo who is veteran in acting. She earned the most citations in the Baeksang Arts Awards than Song Hye-kyo and Park Eun-bin. She has Best Actress awards in films and television and tons of nominations.

Kim Hye-soo won Best New Actress (film) in Baeksang in 1987 for Ggambo, and Best Actress (film) in Hypnotized (2005), Oxtail Soup (television, 1996), and Signal (television, 2016). Last year, she was nominated also in the Best Actress category for her portrayal in Juvenile Justice.

Kim Hye-Soo in Under the Queen's Umbrella

Song Hye-Kyo has been nominated twice at Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Actress (Full House and That Winter, the Wind Blows) but has not yet won the award.

Park Eun-bin has one nomination for Best Actress at Baeksang, last year, she was nominated for her role in The King's Affection.

However, each year is a different story for drama stars. Sometimes they get a coveted role, sometimes not. And it's not who is the most popular, it's not which drama is beautiful, Baeksang Award recognizes the acting ability no matter how small or big the role is.