Two of this year's breakout stars have been chosen to host the 2014 Seoul International Drama Awards. Actors Shin Sung Rok and Jin Se Yeon have been confirmed as masters of ceremonies after impressing audiences with their varied performances during the last year.
Shin Sung Rok first impressed audiences as the cold-hearted antagonist in the sci-fi romance "You Who Came From The Stars." The drama, which co-starred Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun, is a nominee for the Outsanding Korean Drama award. Then Shin Sung Rok did a complete turnaround and played the sweet supportive entertainment agency CEO in "Trot Lovers." The actor was so convincingly nice in that role that viewers almost forgot he ever played a villain.
Although Shin has played both good guys and villains in several dramas and films, he considers himself primarily a musical theater star. His last musical theater role was in "The Count Of Monte Cristo" and his next stage role will be in "The Sun King."
Jin Se Yeon has also been busy during the last few years. She played a freedom fighter and Joo Won's doomed lover in "Bridal Mask." After that she starred in "Inspiring Generation" with Kim Soo Hyun ad shortly thereafter was Lee Jong Suk's long lost North Korean love in "Doctor Stranger." It has only been four years since Jin Se Yeon made her debut. Her next project is a film titled "The Language of Love."
The Seoul Drama International Awards will be held on Sept. 4 at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. The awards bring together international professionals in the field of TV drama production and the media, as well as the audiences that enjoy dramas.
This year the drama awards received 209 submissions from 50 countries making it the biggest year yet for the nine-year awards festival.
So far 24 dramas have been nominated. The South Korean finalists include "Good Doctor," "Empress Ki," "Jeong Do Jeon," "I Hear Your Voice" and "Secret Love Affair." The nominees were chosen because they not only were popular in their own country but in other countries.
Ha Ji Won and Kim Hee Ae were nominated for Best Actress awards. Ha Ji Won was nominated for her title role in "Empress Ki, while Kim Hee Ae was nominated for her role in "A Secret Love Affair." The director and writer of Jeong Do Jeon were nominated in the director-writer category.
