Director Lee Joon-ik and comedian Yoo Jae-suk, who won the Grand Prize at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. (Photo by Baeksang Arts Awards official website)
[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Comedian Yoo Jae-suk and film director Lee Joon-ik received the prestigious Grand Prize at this year's Baeksang Arts Awards.
Yoo Jae-suk and director Lee Joon-ik each won the Grand Prize in the TV and film categories, respectively, at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards held on the 13th at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province.
Yoo Jae-suk is celebrating his 30th year since debut this year. Following last year's Male Entertainment Award in the TV category, he proved his exceptional influence by winning the Grand Prize in the TV category this year. Yoo Jae-suk has been active in various TV entertainment programs such as "Hangout with Yoo?", "Running Man," "You Quiz on the Block," "Sixth Sense," and "Come Back Home." Yoo said, "I cannot accept this award alone," adding, "I am grateful to the production team and colleagues who created the programs together."
Director Lee Joon-ik received high praise in the film industry for the black-and-white movie "Josanjeobo," starring Seol Kyung-gu and Byun Yo-han, which was released on March 31. Lee said, "'Josanjeobo' was not commercial, so I was not confident about its box office success," adding, "Although it did not achieve great commercial success, I am thankful to have the film's value recognized by receiving this award." He also expressed condolences to Lee Chun-yeon, a great star in the Korean film industry and CEO of Cine2000, who passed away on the 11th.
In the theater category, the late writer Lee Eun-yong and director Koo Ja-hye's play "We Are Not (Just) Joking" won the Baeksang Theater Award, the highest honor, as well as the Best Actor Award (Choi Soon-jin). The work deals with the story of sexual minorities. Director Koo Ja-hye said, "Thanks to the courage of writer Lee Eun-yong, who visualized herself as a living transgender and knew how to listen to the hearts of other transgender audiences, we were able to create this work," adding, "I hope those who dare to deny someone’s life and the government that overlooks hatred and discrimination feel ashamed."
In the film category, the Best Director Award went to Hong Eui-jung for "Voice of Silence," and the Best New Director Award was given to Yoon Dan-bi for "Night of the Undead." The Best Screenplay Award was awarded to director Park Ji-wan for "The Day I Died," and the Art Award went to Jung Sung-jin and Jung Cheol-min, the VFX (Visual Effects) supervisors of "Space Sweepers."
In the TV category, JTBC's "Monster," which highlighted urban development issues through the theme of serial killings, swept three awards including Drama Grand Prize, Best Acting Award, and Best Screenplay Award. tvN's "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" won two awards.
The Baeksang Arts Awards is a comprehensive arts awards ceremony covering TV, film, and theater, established in 1964. Due to the impact of COVID-19, this year's ceremony was held without an audience, as was last year. Attendees wore masks and sat apart to maintain distance.
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