5 Super talented Korean actors who never win at big acting awards
Despite earning both critical acclaim and popularity, these famous Korean actors always go home empty-handed from big acting awards.
Korean actors that have received big awards during their careers are obviously talented ones, but that doesn’t mean those without awards are any less admirable. In fact, many Korean actors have never won anything from big awards ceremonies, but no one can refute their overwhelming talents. Below are some cases who don’t need grand prizes to be well-recognized by the public and critics alike.
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Ji Sung
Despite having won the Grand Prize Daesang at awards ceremonies held by broadcasting stations, Ji Sung always goes home empty handed from the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards. Throughout his 23-year career, the famous actor has only received one Baeksang nomination for Best Actor in 2015 with his hit series “Kill Me Heal Me”.
However, while the actor always misses out on big awards, his acting skills can be said to be a legend among the Korean acting industry. His versatility and capability have been proven through Ji Sung’s extensive filmography, which includes completely different images and portrayals.
Song Joong Ki
Compared to Ji Sung, Song Joong Ki was a bit luckier, having been nominated twice for Best Actor at the 2016 and 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards for his works “Descendants of The Sun” and “Vincenzo”. While he failed to win both times, the high regards the public paid to Song Joong Ki never dwindled.
In addition, while “Descendants of The Sun” and “Vincenzo” are the actor’s most famous work, he has showcased impressive acting in other projects as well. For instance, “Sungkyunkwan Scandal”, “The Innocent Man”, “A Werewolf Boy”, and “Arthdal Chronicles” bring completely different images of Song Joong Ki, and are true testament of his insane range.
Lee Jun Ki
While Ji Sung and Song Joong Ki at least managed to win Daesangs at network awards, Lee Jun Ki saw no luck in both Baeksang and the awards ceremony of broadcasting statión – a big question mark to both the public and fans of the action star.
Like others on the list, Lee Jun Ki delivered great versatility through each of his roles, having acted in historical, romcom, psychological, and most noticeably, action. Unfortunately, he was up against strong competitors every time, but he remains a winner of the audience’s heart.
Kim Nam Gil
Kim Nam Gil attracted great attention for his role in “The Fiery Priest”
After winning Best New Actor in 2010 with “Queen Seondeok”, Baeksang Arts Awards seem to have forgotten about the great talent that is Kim Nam Gil. Which is a huge pity, seeing that Korean netizens believe both his performances in “The Fiery Priest” and “Through The Darkness” to be the Best Actor quality.
And the famous actress Honey Lee also agreed with such sentiment, having said in 2019 that she thought Kim Nam Gil was the true winner. Critically acclaimed and popular with the public, it’s high time the actor finally won a deserving prize.
Nam Goong Min
Nam Goong Min is probably the unluckiest out of all the actors listed, considering that he has been nominated 3 times at Baeksang, only to fail all times. In particular, the talented actor received Best Actor nominations in 2016, 2017, and 2020 for his roles in “Remember”, “Good Manager” (Chief Kim), and “Hot Stove League”. On top of that, despite winning the 2022 Grand Prize Daesang at MBC Drama Awards with “The Veil”, the actor wasn’t even mentioned at the year’s Baeksang.
Despite winning Daesang at MBC Drama Awards, “The Veil” got no nomination at the 2022 Baeksang Arts Award.
Among Korean actors, it’s no exaggeration to say that Namgoong Min never fails to deliver something new every return. The actor has played investigation, comedy, to action, and successfully portrayed both villains and heroes, and to not recognize such talent, only to get unfortunate every year.
While important, awards are not a necessity to prove the true capabilities of Korean actors. Still, fans of these familiar faces still wish for their favorites to steal the show at big award ceremonies for once.
