Joynews Poll of Industry Insiders Names Byun Woo Seok as Top K-drama Actor of 2024 Followed by Jang Nara and Kim Soo Hyun

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• The list makes absolute sense to me. And I agree with Koala too that this isn’t about the one who acted the best. Actor of the year is the one that made the biggest splash. From a break out perspective, BWS really took off from being unknown to reaching stardom. It’ll be the follow up that decides whether he can stay there, but he definitely got there. JN and KSH are both givens as they are well established and respected by the industry. And they had bonafide huge hits too.

  I’m more surprised to not see KHY in the top 5. I thought she broke out too although in a much smaller capacity than her costar. But maybe looking back, her drama offers with Joy and Solomon aren’t exactly high tier. So these choices reflect that. Would love to see who comes out on top of Gallup this year. My bet’s definitely Kim Tae Ri based on timing, but it will be very interesting.

  • What do you mean it's not high tier, jang nara and Honey lee etc had these type of offers and the drama's are now bonafide hits. Trust hyeyoon with her new drama will do the same, one things she's sure to do is deliver hits and make the male leads especially shine, like what's happened here.

• top 3 are expected but mmh airing too early in d year put pmy at a disadvantage in awards and polls like this since mmh is such a big hit on a weekday airing but keeps getting ignored. she could have been top 3 or 4 imo she had a bigger impact than psh even with 2 dramas. it’s recency bias which is too bad for the mmh team. they would be getting more reco if the drama was a summer one

  • how can she be in top 3 or 4 when Kim Ji Won is still very much trendint in theqoo, dcgal, intsiz and viral in twitter in youtube with Korean and international comments every single time?

    • Wtaf? KJW is viral every single time? Are you high? Did you pull that out of your thin air KJW is trending on TQ? The only topics tending on TQ is the latest topic unless you are talking about her individual TQ page. Give me a link where KJW has trended and gone viral recently in HOT topics. You will struggle to find 3 in the past 3 months.

      Instiz? When was the last time KJW was in the top 10 of instiz 드영배. 4 months ago? DCGal? Yes, every actor “trends” there because that is a general forum of conversation and where all the psycho sasaeng dwells. JSM is currently “trending”. Viral on Twitter? Ummm, yes, so is KHY and far more so than KJW constantly. Even SYJ trended recently. Your point is…?

      It’s like you think commenters here don’t know how to access any of these sites. Give me a break. KJW is a better actress than PMY no doubt, but the latter carried a drama single-handedly. Something KJW has yet to do in her entire career.

    • Hi Wtf, KJWhas been trending a lot in Korean forums yes until now, last 3 months? She doesnt come out often but whenever she does her bvlgari for 2 days are all trendint in TQ,Intsiz,Dcgal even her magazine covers in hot section with more than 50k views and thats monthly because she has monthly magazine covers anyway and 3 for October only so her vogue and W magazine were both TQ and IS.Tiktok? She got the higest likes with her fanmeet, highest dispatch likes for around 500k likes in the dispatch page highest this year even higher than BWS and had the biggest turn out for her fanmeet. Had most CF deals too.She made most mark for females this yr no matter how u all cry to insert your faves.Sorry not sorry.

    • Ah ah ah, you said and I quote “she is still very much trending… every single time”. That was an instant denial now that you’ve been asked to provide receipts for your delusions. Typical Twitter obsessed stans.

      You don’t need to be sorry. I am not for *knowing* you dunno what you’re talking about and calling you out on it. But if it makes you feel better, you can imagine me “crying”. It’s called projection, babe.

    • @zozo
      What in god’s green earth makes you think any of the things you mentioned are a relevant criteria for being the Top Kdrama actress of 2024? No one cares about literally any of this or even knows any of this other than Kim Jiwon fangirls/boys. Do you expect the industry or regular viewers to know or care?You must be imagining Kim Jiwon to be the Park Eunbin of 2024. But Park Eunbin didn’t just go viral in every wayshapeform, she also had the most impressive performance that year and not a soul disagreed. That so far off from Kim Jiwon’s case. She’s not even in the top 3 actresses with Lee Hanee, Kim Taeri and Jang Nara ahead of her.

    • @Dee
      When are you, Kim Ji Won haters, will calm down already? Zozo clearly didn't say anything about Jang Na Ra, who's the top 2 in the list. Zozo said only about Park Min Young, and yet some people here so bitter for any praises to KJW. I wanted ignore this comment section, but your "You imagining Kim Ji Won as Park Eun Bin 2024, but Kim Ji Won's so far off from Park Eun Bin's performance in EAW". No one compared her performance with Park Eun Bin's performance! Only you here started such talk! Guess you just wanted to say something nasty. I didn't see you or @WTF mentioning anything about top 1 Byun Woo Seok, guess only Kim Ji Won's name can bring your attention, if she ever mentioned as a top actress. Her drama broke records, this is matter, and this is big achievement, whatever you like it or not. And Jiwon fangirls/fanboys can talk about it and consider her as a popular actress. Yes, she didn't do it alone, the same as Park Min Young didn't carried MMH alone, Song Ha-Yoon and Lee Yi Kyung worked too. And KJW was compared only with her, you probably forgot about that as soon as you saw KJW name.
      I guess now I will see such people commenting here every time Kim Ji Won will got any compliment.

• love love kim ji won ! Hong haein is the most famous female character this year. she’s everywhere in tik tok, X , Ig and FB during qot even now after six months qot ended I still come across viral tweet about her. well deserved 🫶

• I don't agree with BWS. I think he's in the category of couples of actors who shined together BWS-KYH, KSH-KJW, JHI-JSM, instead of giving a solo performance.

  For the buzz, he clearly won over everybody. I hope he doesn't feel too much pressure for his next role.

  For me, the actors who shined in their role and elevated it :
  - Jo Jung-suk in Captivating the King
  - Jung Ryeo-won in The Midnight Romance in Hagwon
  - Tae-goo Um in My Sweet Mobster
  - Jang Dong-yoon in Like Flowers in Sand

  • Flowers in sand was in 2023

    • I count it in 2024 because it started in 2023 but ended in 2024. So it was too soon to talk about it in 2023.

  • Agree on Um Taegoo.
    He was previously unknown by drama fans but now he's getting recognized 👍🏻

• Accurate af poll. I may not love some of the dramas these actors starred in, but BWS, KSH and JN are absolutely the trio my mind would go to when I think back of 2024 kdrama actors. KTR just needs to be added in for actor of Q4.

  • Agreed here fully. My recollection of actors from previous years in no specific orders are PEB, LSM, SHK in 2022, NGM, Junho, HHJ in 2023. 2021 is more murkier but I particularly recall KSY, JJS and SHS. And when we think of 2024, BWS, KSH and KTR are the most likely to be remembered.

    • I go around theqoo, dcgal, intsiz, youtube, X everyday and Kim Ji Won gets viral every other day. There was even just a photo of her smiling to a fan with 36k likes with most Korean comments, with no caption. So who do u think at least in the social media made an impact if this is the case?

      She got disadvantage because 1) she doesnt have a dickkk 2) she played opposite a megastar senior with a dickkk in a mysogynyst industry

  • Kim Ji Won didn't got disadvantage 🤦 she got recognition she did fanmeetings, getting cfs, magazine covers and everything else considered as "getting recognition".
    This is just two people here acting as Kim Ji Won and Kim Hye Yoon did nothing for their dramas and didn't work at the same level as their co-stars. But it doesn't mean Kim Ji Won got disadvantage.
    And you're also a sexist if you think Kim Soo Hyun getting recognition just because he's a man. But on one thing you're right, he's a megastar senior.

  • As a KJW fan, I’m happy to see her getting the limelight. She deserves it after doing some well received dramas that weren’t Hallyu ones. But to all her toxic brainless “fans” here, please shut up and stop this. Her costar is a great actor who is one of the most awarded actor in Korea. He doesn’t need his dick for that, he needs his talent. KHY is an amazing and upcoming actress and she deserves her spot in the limelight. She carried LR on her shoulders and helped her costar shine which is an amazing ability not many have. PMY got a mon-the drama to be one of this year’s highest rated drama despite a bad costar. She absolutely should be mentioned and lauded for how well she has done this year and doesn’t need CFs or to be talked about in Qoo or wherever to prove how great her year has been. Jang Nara is winning the Daesang and that is enough proof of her greatness. Lastly, Lee Honey already did win a Daesang and will likely win a second.

    Stop. Belittling. Other. Actors. They all had a great year and accepting that does not decrease KJW’s achievements. I’m not going to be like other KJW fans here who try to [protect] their co-fans. This blog is so full of psycho KJW stans but her fandom is actually very peaceful and we sane ones just want to root for her to keep doing amazing.

    • @KJW fan
      By saying "protect their co-fans" you probably talked about me.
      I didn't protect zorro talk about KSH, I protected her talk only about KJW popularity. This didn't downgrade someone's acting skills, awards or personality. Zorro just said KJW is getting a big buzz, and I really can't see what's the problem for them to tell that. No one questioning BWS buzz, but of course it doesn't mean others actors are worse than him.
      And this isn't problematic talk. Even if others disagree, this isn't thing for people here to be offended about and to call her fandom problematic and others names.

• It's so amazing to see 2 QOT mainlead on the top survey this year. I'm happy for jiwon bcs I remember in MLN it's only SSK who topped the survey back then.

  • It's just shows how ridiculous this, cause her acting in mln was way better, scratch that all her roles have been better than QOT.

• Grabbing from Kforums such as Dcgal, Jang Nara and Kim Soo Hyun are senior house hold names but cmon hype wise its BWS for men and Kim Ji Won for wonen. We will know when Gallup list comes in next week but mid year Gallup was 1) Kim Soo Hyun 2) Nam Goong Min AND Kim Ji Won tie.

  With Kim Soo Hyun megastar status its expected for him to be more of a household name but people here in Koala should be non bias as well to admit than Kim Ji Won held her own and unusually equally got the same hype in QOT with KSH if we remove the status. She doesnt come out much after the show and her agency doesnt do media hype like others but the fact that her follower count during QOT increased exactly the same amount as KSH with just posting THREE photos entire run, her small fanmeet venues had 50000 people waiting, her airport photo in dispatch had the highest likes amongst all the photos higher then bws and ksh, her photo enagagemwnt likes reached 5M too, airport crowd secone to BWS despite not having a dickkk but still you dont think she is on top 3 buzzworthy this year? Bullshit comments here in Koala lol. She’s at par with Soohyun S per hype wise, even have more hype than him at times as Hong Haein but understand his status in the industry but comments here I notice she usually have backhanded compliments or sarcastic praises or get left behind. Are you jealous of women succeeding? lol Kim Soo Hyun lucky because of his dick and household name status gets more votes but casual fans stick for Hong Hae in face to finish the show fact lol

  • I'm agree with most of the things you said, except last sentence. I noticed some KSH and KJW fans constantly doing such lame fanwars, comparing them. Please, don't do that.
    They both worked hard during filming, and they made such drama as big as it is together, with all other cast as well. Yes, some people here nasty about KJW and trying hard to act as only KSH's name matter in that drama. Downgrading KJW hard work this way is lame, but don't downgrade KSH hard work because of this.

• Didn’t Kim Ji Won raked the most and biggest CFs this year for female category? Next to the two men BWS and KSH? She bagged BIG deals such as insurance, Soju, Bvlgari ALL products, TheWhoo, Stonehedge and have monthly magazine covers (except for April and May) for all huge magazines? Since this is about who had made a mark this year, doesnt that put her on top in Female category buzz wise? With her sold out FMs as well and airport crowds and social media engagements and mentuons in both Korean and international portals? Don’t you agree?

  • Nope. KJW fans need to come back to earth.

    Jang Nara is a strong candidate for Daesang this year against some very big names. She carried her drama to 17% in ratings by herself. A drama that had no prior expectations, no star writer, no promotion money, and no popular male lead. KJW on the other hand, is far from being a Daesang nominee, she did not even make the Baeksang actress nominee cut off list. One doesn’t need to be a buzzy actress who got “CF deals” or have “airport crowds” because lmfao what a stupid criteria to decide the actress of the year. If that was the case, Suzy and IU would have been actresses of the year almost every year instead of PEB, KHA or KSY. Unless her impact was as big as BWS who really tore through Korea, or PEB 2 years ago who captured the country’s hearts, KJW is not the actress of the year. That is Jang Nara and by the end of it, Kim Tae Ri - another actress leading a drama by herself, likely a Daesang nominee and Baeksang nominee.

    • These KJW fans remind me of JYB, SYJ and seonho fans from before even yejin had these fans (but atieast she has movie career too) . It's a shame really prior to QOT, her fandom seemed harmless.

    • They didn't say about Daesang/Baeksang, they said about "buzz". Didn't you notice @Kisses wrote "next to two men BWS and..." - by mentioning BWS you think they wrote about Daesang/Baeksang things??
      Some people here trying hard to call KJW fandom a blind, yet you can't even read context of the comment.

    • @Cba, been a KJW fan since FMW and yes her fandom is indeed harmless. It’s the new fans that is the big problem and it sucks. They instigate fan wars on Twitter against her own costars which is causing so many issues. They are baiting LR fans and belittling KGE and GMS. It’s not her real fandom. These are toxic ones and I can only hope they move on soon and leave her true fandom in peace.

    • Hyeyoon fans too, they seem be a toxic bunch. It's always these popular dramas that breeds this bunch. I've noticed alot of KJW fans from QOT are blinks, which makes this all less surprising.

  • I am not looking for an argument but you asked so, sorry but I don’t agree. Taeri and Nara are ahead in the actress category. Jiwon is a solid third.

• For the first time, I full agree with the a list haha. It’s missing Taeri in the but her drama is still not done so fair. JN (drama) is so crazy she might replace JN (actress) LOL. The year’s ratings have been overall much better for kdramas !

• We haven’t seen a true breakout star since Kim Seon Ho. It’s really great to see someone really doing well and particularly interested in what BWS chooses as his next drama. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t picked something yet but maybe he is waiting for a specific type of role.

  I’m also glad to see PSH back in full force! I’m a not a huge fan of her acting but it’s nice to see her taking on challenges. She’s even competing for a Daesang his time which is huge. Good on her!