The Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prizes for acting were awarded to Yoo Hae-jin for “The Man Living with the King” and Ryu Seung-ryong for “The Story of Manager Kim Who Works for a Large Company and Owns a Home in Seoul.” The two actors shared a touching moment, reminiscing about the days they worked part-time jobs together during their unknown years and sending words of encouragement to their past selves.
The 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards took place on the 8th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The ceremony was hosted by Shin Dong-yup, Suzy, and Park Bo-gum for the eighth time. A star-studded lineup of artists who shaped popular culture over the past year attended the event. Notably, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Korean musicals, a new Musical category was introduced, bringing the total to four award categories: Television, Film, Theater, and Musicals.
The Movie Grand Prize went to Yoo Hae-jin for “The Man Living with the King.” The film, set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, tells the story of a village chief who volunteers for exile to revive his town and a young former king who was ousted from the throne. The movie became a cinematic syndrome, ranking 2nd in the all-time box office and attracting 16.63 million viewers with a blend of laughter and emotion. Yoo Hae-jin expressed his overwhelming emotion, saying, “Actually, I expected the Best Actor award but didn’t get it. I was trying to compose myself, thinking I still had a long way to go. When I left theater, I just hoped I could make a living. I was satisfied with a Supporting Actor award, but then you gave me this huge prize.”
Yoo Hae-jin continued, “I am deeply grateful to the 17 million viewers who watched ‘The Man Living with the King.’ When I go to stage greetings, I feel the theaters are full of energy and vitality. I’m glad people seem to remember the charm of the cinema. I want to thank the director, the actors, and especially our Ji-hoon. I believe acting is relative, and the reason I could immerse myself was because Park Ji-hoon gave me great chemistry and gaze. Thank you so much, Ji-hoon.” He added with a bright smile, “When I was in ‘Musa,’ senior Ahn Sung-ki told me, ‘An actor must work hard when acting, of course, but what’s important is how you live when you don’t have a project.’ I want to thank Song Hae-sook and Ahn Sung-ki.”
Following him, Ryu Seung-ryong took home the TV Grand Prize for “The Story of Manager Kim Who Works for a Large Company and Owns a Home in Seoul.” He shared a poignant speech, “I remember the time I worked part-time with Yoo Hae-jin. It’s incredibly moving that we both received Grand Prizes, something we never could have imagined. I teared up thinking about how proud I am of my past self. I thank JTBC for boldly providing a platform for comfort and empathy with ‘The Story of Manager Kim.’ You worked hard, Manager Kim. Saving someone isn’t far away; it’s a single warm word. I believe if we empathize, forgive, and take courage within the ordinary, we can become gifts to one another.”
The TV Rookie Award went to Lee Chae-min for “The Tyrant’s Chef.” Lee Chae-min said, “It’s an honor just to be invited to such a big ceremony, but receiving this award feels like a dream,” mentioning YoonA and Director Jang Tae-yoo. Meanwhile, Park Ji-hoon won the Movie Rookie Award. Having joined the “10 million viewer actor” club with “The Man Living with the King,” Park Ji-hoon thanked Director Jang Hang-jun for believing in him and added, “It’s an honor to share this energy with a senior in my life. I love you, Yoo Hae-jin!” which drew loud applause.
Kim Junsu won the first-ever Musical Acting Award for “Beetlejuice.” Taking the stage, Kim Junsu expressed his excitement, “I really didn’t expect to win. I used to only watch the Baeksang Arts Awards on TV, but thanks to the new Musical category, I could attend. Just being with so many stars makes me happy. I came here just to enjoy myself, so I’m grateful and honored to receive an award.” He added, “I’m happy just to be here with great actors. I can feel the weight of this award. I did think it would be nice if men and women received separate awards from next time. I will continue to be an actor who delivers acting and singing that I can be proud of.”
“Beetlejuice,” starring Kim Junsu, garnered high expectations even before its opening due to its unique worldview and overwhelming visual scale. This season was praised for maximizing explosive energy with a new cast including Jung Won-young and Kim Junsu, alongside Jung Sung-hwa who has been with the show since its premiere.
The TV Supporting Actor lineup was equally brilliant. Yoo Seung-mok of “The Story of Manager Kim” looked deeply moved, saying, “This is the first time I’ve been nominated for any award ceremony. I thank the staff and actors who made a great work, and all the actors I’ve met so far. I won’t get cocky just because I won, so please keep casting me. To my wife who silently supported me through many hardships, thank you. This award belongs to you,” earning applause from his colleagues.
Im Soo-jung, who won the Supporting Actress award for “Fine,” was momentarily speechless. While thanking the director and actors of “Fine,” she shared, “Personally, my steps here were not light. It has been four months since my mother became a star in the sky. As time passes, the words I couldn’t say because I was busy have stayed in my heart, deepening the sadness. I’ve been spending days where it felt like my world had stopped. The reason I can be useful as an actor is thanks to the kind heart and beautiful sensibility I received from my mother. I thank my mother. I will live diligently until we meet again.”
The Variety Awards went to Kian84 and Lee Su-ji, with Lee Su-ji winning for the second consecutive year. Kian84 reflected, “I lived as a cartoonist for 10 years and then accidentally started broadcasting, but I got here by meeting a great production team.” He added, “It’s always amazing every time I come here. Thank you for the big award. I give the credit to the families of ‘I Live Alone,’ ‘Around the World While Born,’ ‘Kian-jang,’ and ‘Extreme 84’.”
Following him, Lee Su-ji became emotional and couldn’t hold back her tears. She thanked Shin Dong-yup, saying, “Sunbaenim always tells me that I am the ‘treasure of SNL’.” She continued, “I live with the mindset that I am not a special person, but someone with a specialized job. Still, there were many times I felt broken, tired, and burdened. Every time, Shin Dong-yup told me that if I work with warmth in my heart, I will ripen beautifully.” Her words earned a round of applause from seniors, peers, and juniors.
Meanwhile, “Rookie Director Kim Yeon-koung” won the Variety Work Award. When PD Kwon Rak-hee’s name was called, he tried to walk up to the stage with Kim Yeon-koung, but the camera captured a funny moment where Kim Yeon-koung waved him off and refused. Eventually standing alone on stage, PD Kwon said, “Director Kim Yeon-koung is sometimes like a big brother and sometimes like a prankster. I’m grateful to work with such a versatile entertainer. Many people said this program wouldn’t work when we started, but here we are. I dedicate this award specifically to Kim Yeon-koung. We are returning with Season 2 this year. Please look forward to seeing how hard Kim Yeon-koung struggles and how well she does it.”
In a surprising turn, Director Yoon Ga-eun won the Director Award, beating masters like Park Chan-wook and the 10-million-viewer director Jang Hang-jun. Appearing emotional on stage, Director Yoon said, “Making this movie took six years at shortest and a lifetime at longest. I once mistakenly thought I was alone during that long time, but I wasn’t. Thank you to those who pushed me from start to finish. I thank the victims of familial sexual violence around the world who shared their pain, sadness, and joy in books, movies, documentaries, and internet posts. I will use this strength to make movies even harder. I will treat this as a command to find new characters.”
Amid congratulations from the leads, Director Park Chan-wook shared his thoughts on winning the Movie Work Award. He playfully noted, “When you’re angry or sad, you need an attitude of constantly attempting jokes, trying to make people around you laugh, and making self-deprecating jokes. That’s how you find an exit. Although I’m a director who didn’t win an award at the Venice Film Festival and wasn’t an Academy nominee, I won at Baeksang.” Following him, the drama “Eunjung and Sangyeon” won the Drama Work Award. Director Cho Young-min said, “You’ve given me such a huge award. I want to thank and congratulate Kim Go-eun, Park Ji-hyun, and Kim Gun-woo. It wasn’t an easy project, so I’m grateful to Netflix for choosing it.” He added, “There are staff members who were with me. Since this is an award they helped create, I consider us receiving it together.”
The second part of the event featured a special performance to commemorate those who have passed away. Yoo Yeon-seok delivered a powerful song, leaving Im Soo-jung and Park Ji-hoon in tears. The atmosphere became even more poignant as clips of the late Lee Soon-jae, Ahn Sung-ki, and Jeon Yoo-sung’s acting were shown.
That day, Hyun Bin was named the winner of the TV Best Actor award for the drama “Made in Korea.” Son Ye-jin created a heartwarming scene by taking out her phone to capture her husband’s win on camera. Hyun Bin said, “Director Woo Min-ho told me to have fun filming the things I couldn’t enjoy during ‘Harbin.’ My time as Baek Gi-tae was thrilling. Above all, I want to say I love and thank my wife Ye-jin and my son for supporting me so well during filming. Finally, Season 2 is coming this fall. Please give it a lot of interest and watch it.” Hearing this, Son Ye-jin smiled brightly and waved at the camera proudly, bringing smiles to the audience.
Next, Park Bo-young of “Seoul of the Unknown” took the stage. Park Bo-young shared, “I remember the planning intention. I too once thought others’ lives were better than mine. I only looked at others’ lives and not their efforts. I hated competition, and there were many times when proving my value and usefulness every moment felt overwhelming and difficult. In those times, seeing other actors who were so good made me not want to fall behind and want to do better, and the efforts born from that stubborn heart made me who I am today. I express deep respect to many actors who are good, fair competitors, and sometimes pacemakers.”
Below is the list of winners for the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards:
▲ Television Category
Grand Prize: Ryu Seung-ryong (‘The Story of Manager Kim Who Works for a Large Company and Owns a Home in Seoul’)
Best Actress: Park Bo-young (‘Seoul of the Unknown’)
Best Actor: Hyun Bin (‘Made in Korea’)
▲ Movie Category
Grand Prize: Yoo Hae-jin (‘The Man Living with the King’)
▲ Theater Category
Best Play: ‘Jellyfish’
▲ Musical Category
▲ Naver Popularity Award: Park Ji-hoon, Im Yoon-a
