Historical fantasy dramas were a favorite at this year's Seoul Drama Awards, with the top prizes for the best Hallyu drama, actor and actress and even the best OST contribution going to dramas that were set in the past.
The drama with the most awards was the ghostly saeguk "Arang and the Magistrate," which won for Excellent Korean Drama and had its lead Lee Jun Ki win for best actor. Miss A's Suzy Bae won for her role as Dam Yeo Wol in "Gu Family Book, a drama about a half-mythical creature struggling to become human. The prize for the best OST contribution went to JYJ's Kim Jae Joong for his song "Living A Dream." That song was featured in the time-travel drama "Dr. Jin," starring Song Seung Joon, Park Min Young and Kim Jae Joong.
Online fan votes and official judges chose the winners. The prizes will be presented on Sept. 5 at the National Theater of Korea. The awards had over 200 international entries from 48 different countries in several categories.
The ABC show "Mistresses" was chosen as the most popular overseas drama. The series stars Kim Yun Jin, an actress who has appeared in kdramas and starred in the popular American television series "Lost." Kim Yun Jin will attend the event.
To compete in the event, the shows had to be broadcast by a major company and have been exported to at least 15 countries.
Last year's Hallyu drama winners also strongly favored historical fantasy. The excellence award went to "Rooftop Prince," the drama about a time-traveling prince, with Park Yoo Chun and Han Ji Min winning best actor and actress. Kim Tae Yon won for her song "Missing You Like Crazy," which was featured in the drama "King 2 Hearts." The Grand Prize was given to the drama "Deep Rooted Tree," a historical drama about the creation of the Korean language.
Suzy Bae and her "Gu Family Book" co-star Lee Sung Jae will host the event. Before her role in "Gu Family Book, which starred Lee Seung Gi and Choi Jin Hyuk, Suzy appeared in "Dream High" and "Big."
In "Gu Family Book," Lee Sung Jae played the monstrous villain Jo Gwan Woong. Before that role, he appeared in a host of dramas and films, most notably the films "Barking Dogs Never Bite" and "Kick the Moon" and the dramas "Lie" and "A Wife's Credentials."
The awards can be seen online in 120 countries through MBC, Daum, UStream and YouTube.
