Park Euntae and Jo Jungeun Win Leading Actor Awards at Korean Musical Awards; Grand Prize Goes to 'The Man in Hanbok'

The Man in Hanbok and Ozige Jaemitneun Gasinadeul Each Win Three Awards

Actors Park Euntae and Jo Jungeun, who performed together in the musical 'The Bridges of Madison County,' won Best Actor and Best Actress at the 10th Korean Musical Awards held at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on January 19. Park Euntae received the award on his third nomination, while Jo Jungeun was honored with her first nomination for Best Actress. The Grand Prize went to EMK Musical Company's tenth original musical, 'The Man in Hanbok.'

Park Euntae and Jo Jungeun played the lead roles of Robert Kincaid and Francesca in 'The Bridges of Madison County,' which is also well-known as a film, earning them their first leading actor and actress awards.

'The Bridges of Madison County' premiered in 2017, was revived in 2018, and returned for a third run last year after eight years. Park Euntae appeared in all three seasons and was nominated for Best Actor at the Korean Musical Awards in both 2017 and 2018 for this production. However, he did not win on his first two attempts, finally taking home the trophy on his third try. During his acceptance speech, Park Euntae became emotional, expressing his overwhelming feelings by saying, "I must have really wanted this."

Jo Jungeun expressed her joy, saying, "I had many concerns about choosing this project, but I wonder how much I would have regretted it if I hadn't."

Musical 'The Bridges of Madison County' leads Park Euntae (left) and Jo Jungeun, winners of Best Actor and Best Actress at the 10th Korean Musical Awards
Photo by Shownote

EMK Musical Company's tenth original musical, 'The Man in Hanbok,' won the Grand Prize, surpassing 'Laika,' 'Behind the Moon,' 'Shadow,' 'Ozige Jaemitneun Gasinadeul,' and 'The Great Gatsby.' 'The Man in Hanbok' features King Sejong and Jang Yeong-sil as its main characters. Um Honghyeon, the producer of 'The Man in Hanbok,' stated in his acceptance speech, "In more than 20 years of producing musicals, this is the first time I've worked on a show that tells a Korean story. We will schedule an encore performance soon and return in an even more improved form."

In the category for productions with more than 400 seats, 'Maybe Happy Ending' won, while in the under-400-seat category, 'Ozige Jaemitneun Gasinadeul' took the honor.

The Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards went to Jung Wonyoung for his performance as Genie in 'Aladdin' and Han Bora, who played both Lokebot and Caroline in 'Laika.' The Best New Actor and Actress awards were given to Kang Byeonghun from 'Bare: The Musical' and Lee Seonggyeong from 'Aladdin.'

Yeh Juyeol, Head of Performing Arts at CJ ENM, who staged 'Cyrano,' 'Kinky Boots,' 'Moulin Rouge!,' 'Werther,' and '42nd Street' last year, received the Producer Award.

'The Man in Hanbok' and 'Ozige Jaemitneun Gasinadeul' each won three awards, the most of any production. In addition to the Grand Prize, 'The Man in Hanbok' also won Best Orchestration/Music Director and Best Stage Design, while 'Ozige Jaemitneun Gasinadeul' received Best Script and Best Direction in addition to Best Production (under 400 seats).

'The Bridges of Madison County' (Best Actor and Actress), 'Laika' (Best Composition and Best Supporting Actress), and 'Aladdin' (Best Supporting Actor and Best New Actress) each won in two categories.

The Korean Musical Awards, hosted by the Korean Musical Association, saw a record 102 entries this year, surpassing 100 for the first time and marking significant growth in its 10th anniversary year. This year is also meaningful as it marks the 60th anniversary of Korean musicals, which began with the original musical 'Saljjagi Obseoye' in 1966. The 10th Korean Musical Awards concluded with a group performance of 'Saljjagi Obseoye,' promising a new beginning for the future.