Actor Hyun Bin’s win for the prestigious Best Actor award at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards on November 19, 2025, has triggered a significant controversy online, with many netizens and critics expressing strong disagreement with the decision.
The win for his performance in the film Harbin immediately went viral, largely due to public sentiment that another nominee was more deserving.
The Winning Performance and the Nominees
Hyun Bin secured the trophy for his performance in the highly acclaimed movie Harbin. However, he faced stiff competition from a strong field of nominees:
- Park Jung Min for The Ugly (The actor most frequently cited by netizens as the rightful winner).
- Sul Kyung Gu for A Normal Family.
- Lee Byung Hun for Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice.
- Jo Jung Suk for My Daughter Is a Zombie.
Netizen Backlash Focuses on Park Jung Min
Following the announcement of the award, social media platforms, particularly a trending post on the Korean community site TheQoo, were flooded with critical and skeptical comments.
The majority of the backlash was not aimed at criticizing Hyun Bin personally, but rather expressing shock and disappointment that Park Jung Min did not win for his role in The Ugly.
Typical comments cited in the article reflect this sentiment:
“No, but seriously… Park Jung Min.”
“I thought Park Jung Min from The Ugly would win…”
“I can’t believe it wasn’t Park Jung Min ㅠㅠ”
“Why did Hyun Bin win?”
Also Read: Hyun Bin and Jung Woo Sung Face Off Over Power and Justice in New Drama “Made In Korea”
This public reaction highlights a common phenomenon in major awards ceremonies, where the results often clash with widespread critical or popular consensus regarding the best performance of the year.
