Being named at the Blue Dragon Film Awards (hereinafter referred to as Blue Dragon) is a great honor in an actor’s life.
It is even more spectacular with singers or idols. So far, only six female K-pop stars have been nominated or won at Blue Dragon.
Yoona
Born in 1990, this goddess has not won any awards, but she is the female K-pop star who has the most nominations (3): Female Rookie in 2017 for “Operation Chromite”, Best Actress in 2019 with “Exit” and in 2021 with “Miracle: Letters to the President”. Although the chance for Yoona to win this year’s Best Actress is very low, but having the 2nd nomination in the Best Actress category within 3 years is already a pride for her as well as for her fans. Yoona is also the first and only K-pop idol to be nominated for the Best Actress Award at Blue Dragon.
Suzy
Suzy’s only achievement at Blue Dragon so far is the nomination for the Female Rookie Award with “Architecture 101”. This is Suzy’s debut movie that gave her both reputation and qualification. Thanks to her role in the film, the beauty became “national first love” in the hearts of Korean viewers. Unfortunately, Suzy has not had the honor to continue to be named at Blue Dragon since then.
Uhm Jung Hwa
“Korea’s Madonna” Uhm Jung Hwa is probably the most successful star of the Korean entertainment industry as she has successfully conquered both music and film. At Blue Dragon, she has 3 nominations in the Best Actress category with “For Horowitz” in 2006, “Dancing Queen” in 2012 and “Montage” in 2013. Three movies with three different genres and three different characters showed Uhm Jung Hwa‘s acting skills as well as were recognized by the public.
Lee Jung-hyun
Unlike other names on this list, Lee Jung-hyun started as an actress and then later debuted as a KPOP singer. Known by the stage name Ava, she impressed many people with her unique image and music. As an actress, she immediately left a great impression on the viewers with her debut movie “A Petal” and won the Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in 1995. 16 years later, she made her name to be known on a new level by earning the Best Actress with her role in “Alice in Earnestland“. Moreover, Lee Jung-hyun‘s character in “The Battleship Island” almost helped her win the Best Supporting Actress in 2017 after getting shortlisted in the nomination. In addition, Lee Jung-hyun is really close to another Blue Dragon’s Best Actress – Son Ye-jin in real life.
Krystal Jung
Best New Actress is the category that KPOP female stars could easily get nominated. Following Yoona, Suzy and Lee Jung-hyun, Krystal Jung also became a nominee for the Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2021 with her role in “More Than Family”. It was Krystal’s movie debut, but she really did great and exceeded the audiences’ expectations. Whether Krystal could win or not, she should still be proud of herself since this is not an achievement that any Korean singer-turned-actress could easily get.
Bang Min Ah
Last but not least, Bang Min-ah (former Girl’s Day member) was also nominated for Best New Actress at this year’s Blue Dragon Awards, becoming Krystal Jung‘s opponent. Her emotional and deep acting in “Snowball” received many compliments from not only movie fans but also the critics. No one knew Bang Min-ah could show such an excellent performance like that. Previously, she won the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award at the 2021 Asian Film Festival. Therefore, there is a high possibility that Bang Min-ah might become this year’s Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Awards. Hopefully, she could break the record that Lee Jung-hyun set 25 years ago.
Let’s wait and see who will become the winner at the 2021 Blue Dragon Film Awards among Yoona, Krystal Jung, and Bang Min-ah. Since many people have expected Bang Min-ah to win the Best New Actress, it would be a huge surprise if the result turns out to be Krystal Jung. In the case of Yoona, getting nominated for the Best Actress alone is enough to make her fans feel proud.
