Baeksang Awards 2025: Tangerines, Lovely Runner Lead; IU, Hyun Bin, Byeon Woo Seok nominated

Get ready for one of the biggest nights in Korean entertainment! The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards is all set to light up your screens on May 5, 2025, bringing together the finest from Korean TV dramas, films, and variety shows.

This year, it’s a battle of two powerhouses in the television category:

"When Life Gives You Tangerines" leads with eight nominations, followed closely by the fan-favorite "Lovely Runner" with five nods.

K-Drama Highlights:

In the Best Drama category, both of these hit series will go head-to-head alongside:

The Tale of Lady Ok

Doubt

The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call

IU and Park Bo Gum, the charming leads of When Life Gives You Tangerines, are both up for Best Actress and Best Actor respectively. They’ll be competing with Lovely Runner stars Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon, who’ve also earned acting nominations. Other big names like Go Min Si, Kim Tae Ri, and Jang Nara round out the Best Actress race, while Lee Jun Hyuk, Ju Ji Hoon, and Han Suk Kyu are in the running for Best Actor.

Notable directing and screenplay nominations include:

Kim Won Seok (Best Director – Tangerines)

Im Sang Choon (Best Screenplay – Tangerines)

Lee Si Eun (Best Screenplay – Lovely Runner)

Film Highlights:

The movie category is just as exciting, with Hyun Bin (Harbin) and Song Hye Kyo (Dark Nuns) grabbing acting nominations. They’re joined by stars like Lee Byung Hun, Jo Jung Suk, Jeon Do Yeon, and Kim Go Eun.

In the Best Film category, the contenders are:

Love in the Big City

Revolver

House of the Seasons

Uprising

Harbin

Park Yi Woong and Woo Min Ho lead the Best Director race, while Kim Hyung Joo & Yoon Jong Bin's work on The Match is among the Best Scenario nominees.

Rising Stars & Variety:

In the Newcomer categories, Lovely Runner’s Song Geon Hee and Tangerines’ Kim Tae Yeon are among the fresh faces to watch.

The variety scene is represented with hits like Iron Girls, Stage Fighter, and Culinary Class Wars grabbing spots in Best Variety Show, while Yoo Jae Suk, Shin Dong Yup, and Dex are in the race for Best Male Entertainer.

On the technical side, kudos go to Hellbound 2 for its VFX, Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born for its music, and Study Group for stunt coordination.