The 60th Baeksang Arts Awards, known as one of the most prestigious award shows in the Korean entertainment industry, has announced this year's nominations and netizens are not too happy.
The Baeksang Arts Awards are highly anticipated every year, as they recognize excellence in Korean film, television, and theatre. Not just artists but fans also look forward to this night, hoping for acknowledgment for their favorite works and actors. While it is not possible for everyone's favorite artist to receive a nod or take home an award, this year, the nominations have been causing quite the controversy all over the world.
Korean netizens and global fans are unanimously discontent with the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards nominations, especially in the TV category. So, this article and analysis focus exclusively on the controversy surrounding the TV nominations.
60th Baeksang Arts Awards Nominations - Sentiment Analysis
We pulled and analyzed posts from all over the internet, such as on X, Instagram, and NATE PANN, to understand this controversy and highlight fans' opinions, concerns, and protestations. What we noticed was that fans from all over the world, regardless of whether they are Korean or international, shared similar opinions on the nominations this time, particularly in regards to actors who were snubbed.
Before we get into our findings, let's take a brief look at the nominations that are causing the most contention with the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Categories under "TV" that are taking the most heat are "Best Actor" and "Best Actress".
Baeksang Official's Instagram
In the "Best Actor (TV)" category, the nominations are Kim SooHyun for "Queen Of Tears", NamKoong Min for "My Dearest", Ryu SeungRyong for "Moving", Yoo YeonSeok for "A Bloody Lucky Day", and Yim SiWan for "Boyhood".
Baeksang Official's Instagram
In the "Best Actress (TV)" category, we have Ra MiRan for "The Good Bad Mother", Ahn EunJin for "My Dearest", Uhm JungHwa for "Doctor Cha", Lee HaNee for "Knight Flower", and Lim JiYeon for "Lies Hidden In My Garden".
Rather than directly expressing disapproval of the nominated actors, fans are more upset with the actors and actresses who deserved nominations but were not named. You can check out our sentiment analysis chart below for more clarity.
Kpopmap
As depicted in the chart, an overwhelming majority of netizens, constituting 78.7%, voiced dissatisfaction with the nominations. Conversely, only a marginal 5.8% displayed enthusiasm, while 15.5% remained neutral, neither impressed nor disappointed.
Criticism Of Selection Criteria
60th Baeksang Arts Awards
Netizens who showed a negative response raised questions about and criticism of the selection process, including doubts on whether the process was fair after all. The criteria used for nominations were brought into discussion alongside factors like viewership ratings and OTT ranking.
For those who might not know, the Baeksang Arts Awards nominees were chosen from K-Dramas that aired between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. A K-Drama will have to have aired at least one-third of its episodes by March 31 to qualify for a nomination. That is why the ongoing K-Drama "Queen Of Tears" was considered for the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards.
However, many fans were not too fond of the fact that a K-Drama that hasn't even finished airing was chosen for a category, whereas actors from several popular and beloved K-Dramas were not.
As many netizens disagreed with the standards of the Baeksang Arts Awards by which nominees are decided, they renounced the credibility of the same.
Actors Who Deserved Nominations, According To Global Fans
Six names stood out among the numerous posts we analyzed - Kim JiWon, Kim TaeRi, Ji ChangWook, Lee DongWook, Park BoYoung, and Shin HaeSun.
Among them, Kim JiWon is the actress fans are advocating for the most, even more so because Kim SooHyun has been nominated for the "Best Actor" category, but Kim JiWon did not get a "Best Actress" nomination. Fans are quite upset and disconcerted about the reasoning behind such a decision when Kim JiWon, who is playing the title role of one of the most successful K-Dramas right now, has not been nominated.
Comparisons between the ratings of "Queen Of Tears" versus those of "Lies Hidden In My Garden", intended to highlight Kim JiWon's snub, were also drawn, although the argument was quickly shut down when other comments emphasized that the Baeksang Arts Awards does not present awards based on ratings as last year, Kim JiWon's own drama "My Liberation Notes" was nominated for "Best Drama" despite its considerably lower ratings. Both Son SukKu and Kim JiWon were also nominated for "Best Actor" and "Best Actress" respectively.
Another upsetting snub this year, according to fans, was that of Kim TaeRi, who delivered a spellbinding performance in "Revenant". Netizens are mentioning that if Kim TaeRi had been nominated, she would undoubtedly have taken the award home. However, it's a pity that her performance was overlooked.
tvN / SBS / Disney+ / Netflix / JTBC
Similarly, Park BoYoung was brought up in discussion, with many pointing out that Park BoYoung has consistently been snubbed by the Baeksang Arts Awards despite her excellent performances, such as in "Daily Dose Of Sunshine".
Shin HaeSun was also mentioned by several fans, who asserted that the actress' performance in "Welcome To Samdal-ri" was deserving of a nomination.
In response, some netizens who are neutral about the nominees mentioned that while it is true that there are other deserving candidates, the actresses who have been nominated are also incredible, and none of them can be replaced.
In the "Best Actor" category, netizens expressed the most frustration over Ji ChangWook and Lee DongWook being snubbed. Ji ChangWook, who impressed with his brilliant acting skills and range in the Disney+ K-Drama "The Worst Of Evil" and Lee DongWook, who made viewers fall in love with him all over again in "A Shop For Killers", also on Disney+, definitely deserved nominations, according to netizens. International netizens were most vocal about this exclusion.
Once again, there were opinions that these actors were outstanding in their respective roles but the current nominees simply cannot be replaced.
What do you think about the Baeksang Arts Awards nominations this year? Tell us on X!
The 60th Baeksang Arts Awards will be held on May 7, 2024 (Tue) at 5:00 PM KST in COEX Hall D, Seoul.
