SEOUL, September 25 (AJP- South Korean actress Park Ji-hyun has become the first Korean woman nominated for an acting prize at the International Emmy Awards, while Disney+ medical thriller “Hyper Knife” gave South Korea a second nomination at this year’s global television honors.
Park was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress for her role in Netflix series “You and Everything Else,” according to the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which announced the nominees for the 54th International Emmy Awards in New York on Wednesday.
The awards drew 64 nominees across 16 categories from 22 countries this year, the academy said.
Park will compete against Belgium’s Mona Mina Leon for “Holy Sh!t,” Mexico’s Bárbara Mori for “Lucca’s World” and Britain’s Sheridan Smith for “I Fought the Law.”
Her nomination marks a first for a South Korean actress in the International Emmy performance categories.
Korean male actors have previously reached the acting shortlist. Jang Hyuk became the first Korean actor nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in 2011 for historical drama “The Slave Hunters,” while the late Lee Sun-kyun was nominated in the same category in 2022 for Apple TV+ series “Dr. Brain.”
Park’s nomination adds another international accolade for “You and Everything Else,” produced by Kakao Entertainment and distributed by Netflix.
Released in September last year, the series follows two women, Ryu Eun-jung and Cheon Sang-yeon, whose decades-long friendship repeatedly shifts between affection, admiration, jealousy and resentment. Kim Go-eun plays Eun-jung, while Park portrays Sang-yeon.
The series won best television drama and best screenplay at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards in May and took the top Best Creative award at the Global OTT Awards in June.
The twin nominations extend a run of Korean programs at the International Emmys as K-content has gained a more regular place on the awards slate.
KBS historical romance “The King’s Affection,” also starring Park Eun-bin, became the first Korean drama to win an International Emmy when it took the Telenovela prize in 2022.
That same year, Lee Sun-kyun was nominated for his performance in “Dr. Brain.” The following year, Korean legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” was nominated for Drama Series and fantasy corporate drama “Reborn Rich” for TV Movie/Mini-Series.
Netflix series “Daily Dose of Sunshine” was among the Comedy nominees in 2024, extending South Korea’s presence beyond the drama categories.
Unlike the U.S.-focused Primetime Emmy Awards, the International Emmys recognize television programs produced primarily outside the United States.
This year’s nominees will gather in New York for the International Emmy World Television Festival from Nov. 20 to 22, with the winners to be announced at the awards gala on Nov. 23.
AJP Takeaways:
- Park Ji-hyun made history as the first Korean actress nominated for an International Emmy acting prize, earning a Best Performance by an Actress nod for Netflix’s You and Everything Else.
- South Korea secured two nominations this year, with Disney+ medical thriller Hyper Knife also shortlisted in the TV Movie/Mini-Series category.
- The nominations extend Korea’s growing International Emmy presence, following past recognition for actors including Jang Hyuk and Lee Sun-kyun and program wins such as The King’s Affection.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.