JYJ's Park Yoochun received the Rookie Actor Award at the 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. The 28-year-old singer-turned-actor received the award for his performance in the film 'Sea Fog," also known as "Haemoo."
In that film he played Dong Sik, a young sailor. Dong Sik does what he is told, even when it's questionable, until his love for a stowaway makes him examine his decisions from a new perspective. The film is based on the true and tragic story of a Korean fishing ship named Taechangho. The fishing ship was not making enough of a catch to survive economically so they decided to smuggle Chinese stowaways into Korea. In order to smuggle these stowaways into the country, the crew hid them in the ship's storage compartment. That attempt tragically backfired when the 25 stowaways suffocated to death. The crew then threw their bodies overboard to hide their crime.
For Dong Sik, the horror of the crime is compounded by his feelings for one of the stowaways.
When Park Yoochun received his award he modestly credited the film crew and cast with his success. He praised their teamwork.
"I gained a lot by simply taking part in the film," he said and vowed to work harder at his acting skills.
Park Yoochun was last seen on the small screen playing a secret service agent in the thriller "Three Days" with co-star Park Ha Sun. Before that he appeared in the melodrama "Missing You" with Yoon Eun Hye. "Sea Fog" is his first film.
His performance in "Sea Fog" was also nominated for the Best New Actor Award at the Grand Bell Awards. The film was also selected as the South Korean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
The film also stars veteran actor Kim Yoon Shik as the ship's captain, as well as Lee Hee Joon, Moon Seung Keun and Kim Sang Ho.
"Sea Fog" was directed by Shim Sung Bo and produced by "Snowpiercer" director Bong Joon Ho.
The Best Film Award went to "Hill of Freedom", which was directed by Hong Sang Soo and starred Japanese actor Ryo Kase and Korean actress Moon So Ri. The award for best lead actor was given to Choi Min Sik for the historical film "Roaring Currents." The best actress award went to Chun Woo Hee of "Han Gong Ju." Recipients of the awards were selected by members of The Korean Association of Film Critics.
