And the Baeksang goes to — All about Korea's most prestigious film and TV awards shows

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And the Baeksang goes to — All about Korea's most prestigious film and TV awards shows

Published: 03 May. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 04 May. 2025, 08:31

SHIN HA-NEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Actor and singer Bae Suzy greets fans on the red carpet ahead of the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards ceremony held in Incheon on April 28, 2023. [NEWS1]

[EXPLAINER]

It’s that time of the year again: The Baeksang Arts Awards — sometimes dubbed “Korea’s Golden Globes” — has returned, with a star-studded lineup of nominees, including IU, Park Bo-gum, Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri.

Beyond the seemingly ever-growing glitz and glamor, few may be aware of the tumultuous journey Korea’s entertainment industry has weathered over recent years amid a broader reshaping of the media landscape. This has inevitably left some in the industry behind, with the Daejong International Film Awards, once-called “Korea’s Oscars,” fading to near obscurity.

So, there’s perhaps no better time than now to ask: What is a Baeksang, exactly? How does it compare to the Blue Dragon Film Awards, or even the actual Golden Globes? And how did Korea’s top three honors dwindle down to only two?

Poster for the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards [BAEKSANG ARTS AWARDS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE]

Oh, and one more question: why didn’t Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” bag a single nomination?

If you are a K-drama or K-film enthusiast rooting for your favorite screen stars, here is a breakdown of what you need to know before tuning into this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards.

Still from Netflix series ″When Life Gives You Tangerines″ [NETFLIX]

What are Korea’s 'big three' film honors?

The nation’s film industry has had three prestigious film awards events for more than a decade now: the Daejong International Film Awards, the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards.

The oldest among these, the Daejong International Film Awards, has been traditionally organized by the Motion Picture Association of Korea since 1962.

However, a combination of dwindling relevance, a shrinking number of guests showing up to the ceremony, constant controversy over the event's integrity since the 1990s and administrative fallouts have led to the host organization being declared bankrupt last year. The ceremony, which is typically held at the end of the year, did not take place in 2024.

Daejong’s trademark rights were subsequently sold at 660 million won ($464,422) to the Korea Movie Production Association. Yet, hopes for revival continue to face uncertainty, as seven industry organizations, including the awards' original host, the Motion Picture Association of Korea, issued a joint statement decrying what it described as “exerting monetary influence over the Daejong awards.”

Actor Tang Wei, left, and her husband, director Kim Tae-yong, greet the press and fans on the red carpet ahead of the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony held in western Seoul on Nov. 29, 2024. [NEWS1]

Blue Dragon continues to fly

That leaves us with the two remaining honors.

Launched in 1963, the Blue Dragon Film Awards, as its name suggests, recognizes achievements in the film industry. But the awards went through a long hiatus for nearly two decades due to an industry-wide slump from 1973. The event later resumed in 1990 with Sports Chosun, a sports and entertainment media outlet, remaining the organizer since then.

While Daejong has been grappling with persisting scandals over its “unfair” evaluation standards, the Blue Dragon Film Awards largely avoided such criticism. While the ceremony is still considered to be placing significant weight on commercial success, its winners have been relatively more diverse than those of the Daejong awards. The Blue Dragon also discloses details of the jury panels' assessment for each category every year, and the names of recipients are famously engraved on the trophies during the ceremony to prevent any leaks.

Especially with actor Kim Hye-soo becoming a constant presence for the Blue Dragon brand as a host for 30 years since 1993, the ceremony has solidified its position as arguably the most prestigious film awards ceremony, eclipsing its older counterpart.

Winners of the Blue Dragon Film Awards are decided by eight judges and a single vote that represents online popularity polls, with the contender that earns the majority named the winner.

Poster for the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards, which took place on Nov. 29, 2024 [BLUE DRAGON FILM AWARDS]

How is Baeksang different?

On the other hand, the Baeksang Arts Awards, launched in 1965, celebrates achievements on both the big and small screens, as well as in theater. It is frequently compared to the Golden Globe Awards.

However, unlike the Golden Globe Awards, where journalists of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association select winners through a voting process, the Baeksang organizer conducts a survey of a 60-member panel of industry experts and academics. Based on the survey, separate jury groups for each category — film, broadcasting and theater — then decide the nominees and final winners.

The show has joined the ranks as one of the big three film honors after the Korean Film Awards were discontinued in 2011, and has been steadily expanding its presence throughout the 2010s. It has gained prominence as one of the most honorable accolades in television amid the rapidly changing media landscape.

The Baeksang Arts Awards, organized by the JoongAng Group, was quick to adapt, broadening its scope for nominees from conventional cable or terrestrial TV channels to embrace a larger range of platforms, including websites and mobile streaming services. Reflecting such expansion, the Baeksang Arts Awards renamed its “television” category to “broadcasting” starting this year.

Where is 'Mickey 17'?

Some may be wondering why Bong's sci-fi film “Mickey 17” has been notably absent from this year’s Baeksang nominees.

The explanation is quite straightforward. The eligibility of nominees for both the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Blue Dragon Awards is, expectedly, limited to works produced by Korean companies. This makes “Mickey 17,” produced by Warner Bros., ineligible despite being directed by the nation’s most globally celebrated director.

Director Bong Joon-ho, right, and actor Robert Pattinson pose for a photo during a press conference for ″Mickey 17″ at a theater in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Jan. 20. [NEWS1]

The Directors Cut Awards, on the other hand, selects its nominees from works by members of the hosting organization, the Directors Guild of Korea, which made Hollywood actor Robert Pattinson eligible for a Best Actor nomination at the 23rd Directors Cut Awards for his role in "Mickey 17."

Recipients of the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards pose for a photo following the award ceremony held in western Seoul on Nov. 29, 2024. [SPORTS CHOSUN]

How do the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Blue Dragon Awards differ from each other?

While there is certainly a significant overlap in the winners at Baeksang and Blue Dragon, the nominees and final recipients sometimes differ between the two honors, partly due to the timing of each event. The former takes place between late spring to early summer, while the latter is traditionally held by the end of the year.

"Given that the Blue Dragon Film Awards has an expertise in the film segment and has been a prominent awards ceremony for a longer period of time, it appears to hold greater authority," noted Ha Jae-geun, a cultural critic. However, "the difference isn't really pronounced," Ha added.

Jeong Deok-hyeon, a pop culture critic who has been a jury member for the Baeksang's broadcast category since 2015, noted that each award carries its own distinct identity and standard.

Identifying "popularity and artistry" as two key pillars for Baeksang's evaluation criteria, Jeong added that "such a focus remained unchanged in the essence of Baeksang."

He also named "relevance, whether the work resonates with the current era," as another key criterion, citing the selection of "Psick Show," a YouTube channel comedy series, as the Best Entertainment Show in 2023, as an example of such an approach.

From left, comedian Shin Dong-yup, singer and actor Bae Suzy and actor Park Bo-gum [BAEKSANG ARTS AWARDS]

What challenges lie ahead?

As the Academy Awards continues to face criticism over perceived irrelevance and controversies surrounding its winner selections, maintaining integrity remains a crucial priority for film honors in Korea as well, especially to avoid following Daejong's path to decline.

"The problem with the Academy Awards appears to have stemmed from potential biases within the voting member pool itself," Jeong suggested, adding that the credibility of any awards heavily depends on the composition of its jury panels.

"While Baeksang has a broad scope, it cannot meet every expectation," Jeong noted. "So, it's important for each honor to have its own distinct identity, as well as solid reasoning [for its selections] to back it up."

A lack of diversity also remains a long-standing challenge.

Seong Sang-min, another cultural critic, pointed out that both of the two major awards events tend to prioritize commercial success over other criteria such as artistry, a tendency more prominent in Korea than similar awards overseas.

"Though Baeksang appears to be making efforts toward greater diversity in its nominee lineups as of late, all three honors [including Daejong] have long been recognizing only big, commercial films," said Seong, calling for a more inclusive approach in celebrating smaller, independent works.

BY SHIN HA-NEE, KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]