South Korean actress Jang Na-ra takes home grand prize at K-drama awards show
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South Korean actress Jang Na-ra received the first grand prize in her 24-year acting career on Dec 22 at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards.
PHOTO: SBS DRAMA OFFICIAL/INSTAGRAM
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SEOUL – South Korean singer and actress Jang Na-ra and trot singer Lee Chan-won wrapped up 2024 triumphantly, taking home top honours at drama and entertainment awards ceremonies held over the weekend.
Recognised for her portrayal of Cha Eun-kyung, a seasoned divorce lawyer whose husband cheated on her in Good Partner, Jang, 43, received the first grand prize in her 24-year acting career on Dec 22 at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards.
The grand prize was a tight race between Ahn Bo-hyun for his role in Flex X Cop, Hwang Jung-eum (The Escape Of The Seven: Resurrection), Ji Sung (Connection), Park Shin-hye (The Judge From Hell), Kim Nam-gil (The Fiery Priest 2) and Jang.
“I met a good partner through the drama Good Partner, which is why I could hold this trophy. In particular, I was able to accomplish a lot thanks to Nam Ji-hyun. She was a blessing to our team,” Jang said in her acceptance speech. Nam played the passionate rookie attorney clashing with Jang’s character.
Good Partner revolves around real-life cases and sheds light on how divorce cases proceed. It also focuses on the marital struggles of its main character, Cha.
“It’s been over two decades since my debut. And as I age, I understand how it is a miracle that people I don’t know like me and watch my drama. I’ll continue to work harder,” Jang said through tears.
Jang debuted as a singer in 2001 with the song Buried My Face In Tears. She is best known for her roles in Baby Faced Beauty (2011), Confession Couple (2017) and The Last Empress (2018 to 2019).
At Dec 21’s KBS Entertainment Awards, trot singer Lee was crowned the top winner, achieving the feat just four years after his debut. He has starred in various hit programmes, such as Stars’ Top Recipe At Fun-Staurant, where the cast created new dishes with secret recipes, and the second season of music competition Immortal Songs.
“I’ve done many programmes at KBS since I debuted in 2020... I really loved entertainment shows while growing up, and I want to continue doing that and make people laugh,” Lee said in his acceptance speech.
Five nominees, including Lee, vied for the grand prize awards: Yoo Jae-suk for Synchro U, Jeon Hyun-moo (Boss In The Mirror), Kim Jong-min (2 Days & 1 Night) and Ryu Su-young (Stars’ Top Recipe At Fun-Staurant).
Meanwhile, the entertainment awards show for MBC and SBS are set for Dec 29 and 31 respectively. The drama awards for MBC and KBS will take place on Dec 30 and 31 respectively. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
