By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
June 14, 2020
Unlike previous years where the audience was packed with stars in film, theater, television and music, the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards was a more subdued affair, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The select celebrities in attendance practiced social distancing, sitting six- to ten-feet apart from each other.
Though the crowd was sparse, the show boasted plenty of star power. For the third year in a row, the hosts were Park Bo-Gum, Bae Suzy and Shin Dong-Yup.
Ahn Hyo-Seop was awarded as Best New Actor for “Dr. Romantic 2.” The 25-year-old actor and singer (he lived in Toronto, Canada, for 10 years before returning to Korea to train with JYP Entertainment) is also a member of Starhaus Entertainment’s One O One.
It is interesting to note that he has been acting for the past five years, but is still considered as a newbie by the industry. He had previously won accolades at these ceremonies:
2017: Rookie Award (“My Father Is Strange“), 2nd Asia Artist Awards
2018: Best New Actor (“Still 17“), SBS Drama Awards
2019: Best Icon, 4th Asia Artist Awards
Other notable Baeksang winners include perennial favorite Yoo Jae-Suk, who won for Best Male Variety Star for his work in “How Do You Play?” And comedienne Park Na-Rae won top honors for Best Female Variety Star in “Home Alone.”
In a somewhat stunning turn of events, Namgoong Min‘s “Stove League” beat out heavily-favored K-Dramas (“Kingdom 2,” “When the Camellia Blooms,” “Hyena” and “Crash Landing on You”) to take home the Best Drama.
Academy Award winner Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” won for Best Picture and also nabbed the Daesang (aka the Grand Prize) for his critically-acclaimed film. But Bong himself didn’t win for Best Director. That honor went to Kim Bora (“House of Hummingbird”).
