[Photo&] '10th Korean Musical Awards' Scene, 'The Man in Hanbok' Wins 3 Awards... Park Eun-tae and Jo Jung-eun Win Best Actor and Actress

The highest honor among domestic original musicals premiered last year went to 'The Man in Hanbok'.

'The Man in Hanbok' achieved the remarkable feat of winning three awards, including the Grand Prize, at the '10th Korean Musical Awards' ceremony held on the 19th at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, sweeping the Arrangement and Music Director Award (Lee Sung-jun) and the Stage Art Award (Seo Suk-jin, stage designer). It was a moment that showcased the strength of Korean original musicals.

In the acting category, the performance in 'The Bridges of Madison County' stood out. Lead actors Park Eun-tae and Jo Jung-eun both won the Best Actor and Actress awards, proving the quality of the production.

Immediately after winning, Park Eun-tae expressed his heartfelt gratitude, saying, "Thanks to the fans who have supported the musical market, actors have been able to make a living," and added, "I will become an actor who does not act foolishly on stage and gives my best," receiving applause.

Jo Jung-eun then said, "I tend to be cautious in choosing works, and if I hadn't done this one, I would have regretted it greatly," and added, "I think a lot about my father, who passed away two days after the awards ceremony two years ago. I dedicate this honor to my father," moving the audience.

In the fiercely contested Supporting Actor category, Jeong Won-young from 'Aladdin' and Han Bo-ra from 'Laika' were selected as the male and female winners, respectively. The honor of the Newcomer Award, which is only given once in a lifetime, went to Kang Byeong-hoon from 'Bear the Musical' and Lee Seong-gyeong from 'Aladdin', while the Ensemble Award for the best teamwork was won by the 'Evita' team.

The competition for the Best Musical Award was also intense. The Best Musical Award for productions with over 400 seats went to 'Perhaps a Happy Ending', celebrating its 10th anniversary of its domestic premiere and showcasing its status as a steady seller.

In particular, 'Incredibly Fun Girls', which was nominated in a record 8 categories, won the Best Musical for productions with fewer than 400 seats, as well as the Directing Award (Oh Kyung-taek) and the Playwright Award (Kim Ha-jin), achieving three awards. The touching story of grandmothers learning Korean, based on a documentary and essays, received high praise.

Awards for creators and production teams were also presented. The Producer Award went to Lee Joo-yeol, head of the CJ ENM Performance Division, who led productions like 'Cyrano' and 'Kinky Boots', the Composition Award went to Lee Sun-young from 'Laika', and the Choreography Award was given to Dominique Kelly from 'The Great Gatsby'. The Stage Art Award was jointly awarded to designer Seo Suk-jin and video designer Ko Dong-wook from 'Behind the Moon'.

Additionally, the Children's Family Musical Award went to 'Love's Hachuping', based on a popular IP, and the Contribution Award was given to the CJ Cultural Foundation for its efforts to support creators.

This year marks the 10th Korean Musical Awards, with a record 102 entries submitted, proving the quantitative and qualitative growth of the Korean musical market. The ceremony featured congratulatory performances for the 10th anniversary, including 'Perhaps a Happy Ending' and 'Fan Letter', as well as a 60th-anniversary stage for the first original musical in Korea, 'Slightly Observing You', adding to its significance.