At the 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards held on July 18, the Netflix original drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” took home the night’s highest honor: the Grand Prize (Daesang). The emotional win solidified the show’s impact, not only in Korea but across global streaming audiences.
The drama, which premiered in March, stars IU as the rebellious but radiant Jeju native Ae-soon (and later her daughter, Geum-myeong) and Park Bo-gum as the unshakably loyal Gwan-sik. Their life-spanning romance unfolds across the four seasons, blending laughter, loss, and poetic love into a richly layered story that resonated deeply with viewers worldwide.
Taking the stage, Park Bo-gum expressed deep gratitude by saying, “I want to thank all the staff who worked tirelessly through the four seasons of filming, and the global viewers who supported us.”
He then paid tribute to the creative team and his co-stars, stating, “Thank you to our director and writer for allowing me to bring Gwan-sik to life. The character of Gwan-sik could shine even brighter thanks to child actors Cheon-moo and Moon Woo-jin (who played child and teen Gwan-sik respectively), and actor Park Hae-joon (who played middle-age Gwan-sik). It was truly an honor to share this journey with you all.”
Meanwhile, actor Chae Dae-hoon, who played the fishing captain Boo Sang-gil, said, “I don’t know if I’m the right one to speak on behalf of everyone, but I promise to come back with even more passion and better work.”
Finally, Lee Jun-young, who played Geum-myeon’s first love Park Young-bum, remarked, “Working on this project gave me so much inspiration and joy. Thank you for loving ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’.”
On the other hand, the Blue Dragon Series Awards is Korea’s first major awards show dedicated exclusively to original streaming content, encompassing dramas and variety shows released via platforms like Netflix, Wavve, and Coupang Play.