As Expected, Namkoong Min Won Career’s Third Daesang With “My Dearest” At 2023 MBC Drama Awards
The MBC Drama Awards was held at 8:40 p.m. on December 30 at MBC’s new headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Kim Sung-joo and Park Gyu-young were the hosts of this year’s awards.
In the award ceremony, the grand prize (Daesang) went to Nam Goong Min of “My Dearest.” The drama recorded the highest viewership rating of 12.9% in the final episode (based on Nielsen Korea, nationwide), establishing itself ans the most successful among MBC programs this year.
In his acceptance speech, Namkoong Min said, “I tend to prepare for acting perfectly, but I am not good at speaking. I’m going to talk about what I want to say as a human Namkoong Min, not actor Namkoong Min.“
“After a hectic schedule, I suddenly had some free time, so I sat in front of the TV watching it blankly. Suddenly, the question of ‘What is happiness for me’ came to mind,” he said. “I slept well, had enough time to read the script, and I went to the set, and I think I was the happiest when the director said “Acting!”
“Even if I don’t act in a drama, I can still be so happy when I see a work that makes good performances. Thank you to the My Dearest team, viewers, and fans who made me happy,” he added.
Namkoong Min said, “Rather than talking about myself, I think I should thank those people for their help first. ‘My Dearest’ team was very positive and I gained a lot of energy from them. I want to express my respect for the efforts they made to capture the most beautiful scenes on the screen”.
He added, “Actors representing each episode, such as Cheong-ah, Jong-tae, Hak-joo, etc., received so much criticism. I couldn’t even call them because I felt so sorry. I recommended them, and I felt so proud seeing them work hard without hesitation.”
Regarding his co-star Ahn Eun-jin, who played his lover Yoo Gil-chae in the drama, Namkoong Min shared, “It was my first time working with this friend, but I considered her a colleague. When I had a hard time, she showed consideration for me with sincere eyes and relied on her sincerity a lot. She was like a colleague to me, not a junior actress. Thank you for acting so sincerely. I think no one could pull off Gil-chae except for you. Thank you”. He added, “As a senior, how should I say about Ahn Eun-jin? ‘It’s kind of like that’”, recalling a famous line from the drama.
Finally, Namkoong Min expressed his affection “My beloved family, my beloved wife Ah-reum” and pledged, “I’ll become an actor who does my best without letting my guard down in any situation.“
“My Dearest” swept all the awards from Rookie Award, Supporting Actor Award to Drama of the Year. Kim Moo-jun (as Crown Prince Sohyeon), Kim Yoon-woo (as Ryang-eum) and Park Jung-yeon (as Jong Jong-yi) won the Rookie Award. Choi Young-woo (as Yonggoldae) received the Supporting Actor Award. Kim Jong-tae (as King Injo) won the Best Character Award, and Ahn Eun-jin won Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries. Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin also won the Best Couple Award chosen by viewers.
This year, MBC aired various dramas, including “Kokdu: Season of Deity”, “Numbers”, “Joseon Attorney”, “My Dearest”, “The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract”, “The Witch’s Game”, “Meant to Be” and “A Good Day to Be a Dog”.
