THE 57th Baeksang Arts Awards has crowned its winners, with Netflix titles receiving many awards! The prestigious awards ceremony honors the best performances in Korean TV, film, and theatre since 1965.
Some notable wins from the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards include Jun Jong-seo for Best Leading Actress (The Call), Oh Jung-se for Best Supporting Actor (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay), Yeom Hye-ran for Best Supporting Actress (The Uncanny Counter), Lee Do-hyun for Best New Actor (18 Again), and Park Ju-hyun for Best New Actress (Extracurricular). Furthermore, Kim Seon-ho (Start-Up) and Seo Yea-ji (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay) both won the TikTok Popularity Award.
Newcomer Park Ju-hyun is the Best New Actress in TV Drama in Extracurricular which reveals the dark side of a model student’s double life when his classmate comes across his shady business. Reasons to watch: Not your typical high school drama, darkly funny, and full of suspense.
In THE CALL, Jun Jong-seo was named Best Leading Actress in Film. The Call connects two women living in the same house but 20 years apart with dangerous consequences. Reasons to watch: Twisty time travel, beautiful cinematography, and magnetic performances.
SPACE SWEEPERS bags the Best Technical Achievement in Film award for its Visual Effects. Space Sweepers shows a group of misfits unearthing explosive secrets while scavenging space debris in 2092. Reasons to watch: It’s the first Korean space blockbuster movie, visually stunning futuristic adventure, and relevant real-world issues.
The film IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY bags two awards — when Oh Jung-se was named as the Best Supporting Actor in TV Drama, and the film itself was cited as Best Technical Achievement in TV Drama for Costume.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay sets an antisocial children’s book author and a selfless psych ward caretaker on the path to emotional healing. Reasons to watch: Focuses on mental health issues, dives deep into emotional wounds, and a unique anti-heroine.
Yeom Hye-ran won the Best Supporting Actress in TV Drama in her role in The Uncanny Counter which tells the story of demon hunters called Counters who hunt down malevolent spirits. Reasons to watch: Fun supernatural premise, unconventional heroes, and riveting action scenes.
In the film 18 AGAIN, Lee Do-hyun was named as the Best New Actor in TV Drama. 18 Again is about a middle-aged man getting a chance at a do-over when he’s transformed back into his 18-year-old body. Reasons to watch: Heartwarming story about family, lots of eye candy, and sincere life lessons.
The film FLOWER OF EVIL won Best Director in TV Drama – Kim Cheol-kyu. Flower of Evil centers on a man who hides his twisted past from his detective wife, only to have everything unravel when she begins to investigate a series of murders. Reasons to watch: Full of suspense and thrills, sizzling chemistry, and exciting mystery.|
