The '61st Baeksang Arts Awards' has revealed its nominees for television, film, and theater.
On the 7th, the Baeksang Arts Awards Secretariat announced the nominees for the '61st Baeksang Arts Awards with Gucci' for television, film, and theater, selected through fair and intense judging on its official website and social media.
Television Category
The Baeksang Arts Awards has expanded its judging criteria over the years, including cable, general programming, OTT, and web content, as well as creators, in line with content consumption trends. Following this expanded criteria, this year, the TV category has been renamed to the broadcasting category, aiming for another change.
The competition for the Best Drama category, which has become increasingly fierce over the years, includes tvN's 'Sunjai Up Go Tiu', JTBC's 'Okssi Buin Jeon', MBC's 'This Close Betrayer', Netflix's 'Severe Trauma Center', and Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'. The nominees for the Best Entertainment Program, selected as the trendiest content, are tvN's 'Iron Girl Group', Mnet's 'Stage Fighter', Choo Sung-hoon's 'Ajo's Later Life', Tteun Tteun's 'Wind Direction High', and Netflix's 'Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War'. The Best Documentary category features a variety of themes and messages, including EBS's 'DocuPrime - Where is My Last Home?', Wave's 'All Family', Wonju MBC's 'Become the Wind, Again with You', SBS's 'Special - Hakjeon and the Aftermath Kim Min-ki', and Tving's 'Shaman: Ghost Story'.
Nominees for Best Director include Kim Won-seok (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), Kim Hee-won (Disney+'s 'Lighting Store'), Song Yeon-hwa (MBC's 'This Close Betrayer'), Lee Do-yoon (Netflix's 'Severe Trauma Center'), and Jung Ji-in (tvN's 'Retirement'). The nominees for Best Screenplay are Kim Jung-min (Coupang Play's 'Family Plan'), Park Ji-sook (JTBC's 'Okssi Buin Jeon'), Lee Si-eun (tvN's 'Sunjai Up Go Tiu'), Lim Sang-chun (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), and Choi Yu-na (SBS's 'Good Partner'). Art nominees include Lee Young-joo (Netflix's 'Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War'), Lee Jin-seok and Lee Deok-hoon (MBC's 'This Close Betrayer' cinematography), Jang Young-kyu (tvN's 'Retirement' music), Jo Dong-hyuk (Tving's 'Study Group' martial arts), and Hong Jung-ho, Lee Seung-je, Kim Dae-jun, and Kim Jung-min (Netflix's 'Hell Season 2' VFX).
The Best Acting Award, which selects the best performances of the past year, has determined five nominees for both men and women after intense discussions. Park Bo-gum (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), Byun Woo-seok (tvN's 'Sunjai Up Go Tiu'), Lee Joon-hyuk (Tving's 'Good or Bad Dongjae'), Ju Ji-hoon (Netflix's 'Severe Trauma Center'), and Han Seok-kyu (MBC's 'This Close Betrayer') will compete for the Best Male Actor trophy. Go Min-si (Netflix's 'In the Forest Where No One Is'), Kim Tae-ri (tvN's 'Retirement'), Kim Hye-yoon (tvN's 'Sunjai Up Go Tiu'), IU (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), and Jang Na-ra (SBS's 'Good Partner') are competing for the Best Female Actor award.
The competition for the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories is expected to be the hottest ever. Kim Jun-han (SBS's 'Good Partner'), Noh Jae-won (Netflix's 'Squid Game' Season 2), Yoon Kyung-ho (Netflix's 'Severe Trauma Center'), Choi Dae-hoon (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), and Hyun Bong-sik (Tving's 'Good or Bad Dongjae') are nominated for Best Male Supporting Actor. The Best Female Supporting Actor category includes Kim Guk-hee (Coupang Play's 'Family Plan'), Kim Jae-hwa (JTBC's 'Okssi Buin Jeon'), Yeom Hye-ran (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), Oh Kyung-hwa (tvN's 'Retirement'), and Jung Eun-chae (tvN's 'Retirement'), making it difficult to predict the award results due to the strong lineup of nominees.
The Best New Actor category, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, features rising stars who have gained attention. Kim Jung-jin (MBC's 'This Close Betrayer'), Song Geon-hee (tvN's 'Sunjai Up Go Tiu'), Cha Woo-min (Tving's 'Study Group'), Choo Young-woo (JTBC's 'Okssi Buin Jeon'), and Heo Nam-jun (Genie TV's 'Your Honor') are nominees for Best Male New Actor. Kim Tae-yeon (Netflix's 'Poxak Sogassuda'), Noh Jeong-ui (Channel A's 'Witch'), Jo Yoon-soo (Disney+'s 'Tyrant'), Chae Won-bin (MBC's 'This Close Betrayer'), and Ha Young (Netflix's 'Severe Trauma Center') are competing for the Best Female New Actor award.
Those who have been at the forefront of K-entertainment trends over the past year are nominated for the Best Entertainment Program award. Kim Won-hoon, Dex, Sung Si-kyung, Shin Dong-yup, and Yoo Jae-suk are nominees for Best Male Entertainment Program. The Best Female Entertainment Program nominees include Lee Soo-ji, Jang Do-yeon, Ji Ye-eun, Hae-won, and Hong Jin-kyung, creating a friendly competition. Notably, the nominees for the entertainment award have distinct strengths and personalities showcased in their respective entertainment content, drawing more attention to who will take home the trophy.
Film Category
The cinema industry faced a challenging year, but it resonated deeply with audiences through various genres and fresh approaches. As a result, this year's film category has an even more exciting lineup of nominees.
The nominees for Best Film include 'The Law of Love in Big Cities', 'Revolver', 'Jangson', 'Jeon, Ran', and 'Harbin'. The nominees for Best Director are Park Yi-woong ('The Morning Sea Seagull'), Oh Seung-wook ('Revolver'), Woo Min-ho ('Harbin'), Lee Eon-hee ('The Law of Love in Big Cities'), and Lee Jong-pil ('Escape'). The competition for Best New Director is expected to be as fierce as for Best Director, with nominees including Kim Se-hwi ('She Died'), Nam Dong-hyeop ('Handsome Guys'), Oh Jung-min ('Jangson'), Lee Mi-rang ('About My Daughter'), and Jung Ji-hye ('Jeongsun').
The nominees for Best Screenplay are Kim Hyung-joo and Yoon Jong-bin ('Victory'), Park Yi-woong ('The Morning Sea Seagull'), Shin Cheol and Park Chan-wook ('Jeon, Ran'), Oh Seung-wook and Joo Byeol ('Revolver'), and Oh Jung-min ('Jangson'). The nominees for the Art Award include Park Byeong-joo (VFX for 'Wonderland'), Yoo Sang-seob and Jang Han-seung (Action for 'Veteran 2'), Lee Seo-jin (Makeup for 'Pilot'), Jo Young-wook (Music for 'Jeon, Ran'), and Hong Kyung-pyo (Cinematography for 'Harbin').
The most anticipated nominees for Best Actor are pillars of the Korean film industry. Yoon Joo-sang ('The Morning Sea Seagull'), Lee Byung-hun ('Victory'), Lee Hee-joon ('Handsome Guys'), Jo Jung-seok ('Pilot'), and Hyun Bin ('Harbin') are competing for the Best Male Actor award. The Best Female Actor nominees include Kim Go-eun ('The Law of Love in Big Cities'), Kim Geum-soon ('Jeongsun'), Song Hye-kyo ('Black Nuns'), Jeon Do-yeon ('Revolver'), and Jo Yeo-jeong ('Hidden Face'), creating a fierce competition.
Strong nominees are also present in the Best Supporting Actor category. The lineup for Best Male Supporting Actor is difficult to choose a single winner, featuring Koo Kyo-hwan ('Escape'), Park Jung-min ('Jeon, Ran'), Yoo Jae-myung ('Land of Happiness'), Jung Hae-in ('Veteran 2'), and Jo Woo-jin ('Harbin'). The nominees for Best Female Supporting Actor, each with their unique charm, include Gong Seung-yeon ('Handsome Guys'), Soo-hyun ('Ordinary Family'), Lim Ji-yeon ('Revolver'), Jeon Yeo-bin ('Black Nuns'), and Han Sun-hwa ('Pilot').
The nominees for Best Male New Actor include Kang Seung-ho ('Jangson'), Noh Sang-hyun ('The Law of Love in Big Cities'), Moon Woo-jin ('Black Nuns'), Jang Seong-beom ('What Needs to Be Done'), and Jung Sung-il ('Jeon, Ran'). Noh Yoon-seo ('Cheongseol'), Park Ji-hyun ('Hidden Face'), Lee Myung-ha ('Mimang'), Lee Hae-ri ('Victory'), and Ha Seo-yoon ('Streaming') are competing for the Best Female New Actor award. Attention is focused on the emergence of new faces that will shape the future of Korean cinema.
This year marks the third edition of the Gucci Impact Award, which highlights social issues from various perspectives and conveys messages for a better future. The five selected works are 'To Her', 'The Law of Love in Big Cities', 'Reviving Voices', 'The Morning Sea Seagull', and 'Jeongsun'.
Theater Category
The theater category has become a highlight of the Baeksang Awards since its revival in 2019. The Baeksang Theater Award selects the most outstanding theatrical achievements without boundaries between groups, works, and individuals, but this year, all five nominees are from works. The nominees are 'Gumi Style', 'The Jews of Malta', 'Daughters', 'Jincheon Recommends Jincheon Recommended Play Jincheon Sits in the Recommended Seat', and 'Tungso Sound'.
The nominees for the Acting Award include Kwak Ji-sook ('The Jews of Malta'), Lee Jin-kyung ('Women on Earth'), Jung Sae-byeol ('Tungso Sound'), Jo Young-kyu ('Jincheon Recommends Jincheon Recommended Play Jincheon Sits in the Recommended Seat'), and Choi Hee-jin ('All'). The Young Theater Award, which seeks 'newness' rather than 'youth' in biological age, includes the Gongnori Club ('Dried Chili and Peach-scented Lipstick'), Universal Theater ('Romance of Destruction'), and End Theater ('Yuwon'), as well as directors Lee Seung-won ('The Seagull') and Lee Tae-rin ('Chosun Person Choi Young-woo Born in 1923').
The works judged for this year's Baeksang Arts Awards are content provided on terrestrial, general programming, cable, and OTT from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, as well as Korean feature films released and plays performed during the same period. The entertainment category in the broadcasting section includes content provided on the web. Before selecting nominees for each category, a preliminary survey was conducted with 60 professional evaluators, and the nominees and winners are determined through strict judging by a panel of experts representing broadcasting, film, and theater.
The '61st Baeksang Arts Awards with Gucci', the only comprehensive arts awards ceremony in Korea covering broadcasting, film, and theater, will be held on May 5 at 8 PM at COEX D Hall in Gangnam, Seoul. The Italian luxury brand Gucci has participated as a partner for three consecutive years, and the event will be broadcast live simultaneously on JTBC, JTBC2, and JTBC4.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
