'Baeksang is a joke': Queen of Tears fans fume after judge reveals why Kim Soo Hyun was chosen over Kim Ji Won for nomination

Ahead of the 61st Baeksang Art Awards ceremony, the 2024 Baeksang Art Awards are making waves¡ªbut not for the right reasons. Fans of Queen of Tears were frustrated after they noticed Kim Soo Hyun was nominated for the Best Actor title last year while his co-star Kim Ji Won was completely snubbed from the Best Actress list. The development comes amid ongoing scrutiny against Kim Soo Hyun in the wake of his dating scandal with the late actress Kim Sae Ron.

Fans fume over Kim Ji Won's snub from Baeksang Art Awards.

The nominations for the 61st Baeksang Awards were dropped on Monday, and within minutes, social media was flooded with angry posts. Many fans couldn¡¯t believe Kim Ji Won wasn¡¯t even nominated, especially since her performance in Queen of Tears had people hooked from the very first episode.

However, later, it was revealed that Queen of Tears was sent for consideration last year, and while Kim Soo Hyun scored a nomination for his role as Baek Hyun Woo, Kim Ji Won's performance as Hong Hae In was overlooked.

Credit: X

Baeksang judge explains the reason for Kim Ji Won's snub

Judge and pop culture critic Jeong Deok Hyeon broken his silence on the controversy¡ªbut instead of calming things down, his explanation has only made fans more frustrated.

Read his complete statement below:

"In Queen of Tears, people were saying, ¡®Huh? Kim Ji Won didn¡¯t even get nominated?¡¯ ¡­ Do you know why that happened?

When the first round of judging started, it started pretty early. Queen of Tears hadn¡¯t even begun airing yet. So there was a lot of debate over whether to include it or not. Since it barely made the cutoff, there¡¯s actually an original standard. If a certain percentage has aired, then it becomes eligible. But it was difficult for us to judge it properly without having seen the full content.

At the point we were watching it, Kim Soo-hyun¡¯s performance stood out clearly, but Kim Jiwon hadn¡¯t really shone yet in the video. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t make it into the nominations, and actually, we explained all this to Kim Jiwon¡¯s agency, and the actress also heard it and accepted it all. The public doesn¡¯t know, though, so they just criticise us. ¡®How could they do that?!¡¯ ¡­

But awards like this ¨C honestly, there¡¯s a bit of luck involved.¡±

Fans react to Baeksang judge's explanation

On expected lines, fans were far from satisfied by Jeong Deok Hyeon's explanation, with many arguing it was Kim Ji Won who carried the tvN hit with her exceptional performance.

One fan wrote, "Baeksang judges need glasses because how in the world could that perv be more eye-catching than Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won?"

Baeksang judges need glasses coz how in the world that perv could be more eye catching than Ji Chang wook and Kim Ji won? https://t.co/yMPcO9AyCH pic.twitter.com/zglG5MACnz

¡ª ???? ???¡â?? Yangyang couple ? (@changwook_jiwon) April 11, 2025

Another user wrote a lengthy note: "These Korean awarding bodies are full of faeces. You nominate a man for just existing and because of payola, but then tell the woman to just accept her non-nomination because the timing wasn¡¯t right and she was ¡°unlucky¡±. No, this is on you, Baeksang, not her. You chose to nominate that man because he pulled the strings and made you dance, while she didn¡¯t play the game. Baeksang is a joke. You strip all the talents of their rights for a man with a very questionable character and completely disregard the remaining cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into making the show a success. And you have the audacity to say this to her face, knowing she¡¯s not confrontational and would just take the injustice in stride. The level of cruelty women face in the industry."

These Korean awarding bodies are full of faeces. You nominate a man for just existing, and because of payola, but then tell the woman to just accept her non-nomination because the timing wasn¡¯t right and she was ¡°unlucky.¡±

No, this is on you, Baeksang, not her. You chose to¡­ pic.twitter.com/pahwmNmVe3

¡ª Em ? (@dongdeng_em) April 11, 2025

"#KimJiWon took English class, chaebol class and diet for 1 year for her role only for #baeksang to nominate that pedo guy just because of "seniority." That pedo is not even disciplined enough to control his diet. The FLS always did more and received less. WHAT A FREAKING JOKE," a third user wrote.

#KimJiWon took English class, chaebol class and diet for 1 year for her role only for #baeksang to nominated that pedo guy just because of "seniority". That pedo not even discipline enough to control his diet. The fls always did more and receive less. WHAT A FREAKING JOKE https://t.co/txGGVwyVCm

¡ª MyDing (@SleepNotAlive) April 11, 2025

A fourth said, "Baeksang are you joking? The male lead performance stood out, but Kim Ji-won didn't shine yet. What kind of joke is it? Kim Ji Won shone from the beginning till the very end."

Baeksang are you joking male lead performance stood out but kim ji won didn't shined yet. What kind of joke it is. Kim Ji Won shined from the beginning till the very end. https://t.co/ve571xbiLG

¡ª ??? #inlovewithjichangwook (@sin_gularity1) April 11, 2025

Regardless of awards and nominations, Kim Ji Won delivered her career's best performance in Queen of Tears. While the drama has now been mired in controversies due to Kim Soo Hyun's involvement, QoT will always remain iconic for fans of Kim Ji Won.

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