The ENA drama Scarecrow has emerged as the frontrunner for the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards, securing the highest number of nominations.
The nominations, announced by the Blue Dragon Series Awards secretariat on July 1, cover dramas and variety shows released on domestic and international streaming platforms between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
The nominees for Best Drama include Made in Korea, Yumi's Cells Season 3, Eun-joong and Sang-yeon, The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, and Scarecrow, setting the stage for a competitive race.
Scarecrow leads the pack with six nominations, including Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best New Actor and Actress. While Park Hae-soo, one of the show's two leads, received a nomination for Best Actor, the absence of Kim Hee-jun from the acting categories has sparked some curiosity.
Park Ji-hoon's series comeback, The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, follows closely with nominations in four categories (five total nominations), including Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best New Actor. Having established himself as a 16-million-ticket-seller with The King's Warden, Park Ji-hoon is now aiming for his first-ever Best Actor award since his debut.
The Best Actor category features a fierce lineup: Park Hae-soo (Scarecrow), Park Ji-hoon (The Legend of Kitchen Soldier), Kim Seonho (Can This Love Be Interpreted?), Kim Woobin (All the Love You Wish For), and Hyun Bin (Made in Korea). The Best Actress category is equally competitive, with nominations for Go Youn-jung (Can This Love Be Interpreted?), Kim Go-eun (Eun-joong and Sang-yeon), Park Bo young (Gold Land), Park Ji-hyun (Eun-joong and Sang-yeon), and Shin Hae Sun (Lady Dua).
Nominees for Best Supporting Actor include Yoon Kyungho (The Legend of Kitchen Soldier), Lee Kwang soo (Gold Land), Lee Sang-yi (The Legend of Kitchen Soldier), Jung Moon-sung (Scarecrow), and Jin Sun-kyu (Aema). The Best Supporting Actress category features Kwak Sun-young (Scarecrow), Moon Jung-hee (Gold Land), Park Bo-kyung (Lady Dua), Seo Eun-soo (Made in Korea), and Im Soo-jung (Low Life).
The Best New Actor category, a once-in-a-lifetime honor, includes nominations for Kim Jae-won (Yumi's Cells Season 3), Kim Jin-wook (Low Life), Baek Seon-ho (If Wishes Could Kill), Song Geon-hee (Scarecrow), and Lee Hong-nae (The Legend of Kitchen Soldier). Nominees for Best New Actress are Kim Min (Low Life), Bang Hyo-rin (Aema), Seo Ji-hye (Scarecrow), Arin (S-Line), and Jeon So-young (If Wishes Could Kill).
The variety show categories are just as star-studded. Driver: The Rival, Better Late Than Single, Jae-seok's B&B Rules!, Office Workers Season 2, and Culinary Class Wars Season 2 have been nominated for Best Variety Show.
The highly anticipated Best Male Entertainer (Best and Excellence) category features Kim Won-hoon (SNL Korea Season 8), Shin Dong-yeob (SNL Korea Season 8), Yu Jae-seok (Jae-seok's B&B Rules!), Lee Kwang soo (Jae-seok's B&B Rules!), and Car, the garden (Driver: The Rival). The Best Female Entertainer (Best and Excellence) nominees include Kim Sook (Driver: The Rival), Lee Soo-ji (SNL Korea Season 8), Lee Eun-ji (Better Late Than Single), Jung Yi-rang (Sister's Cafe), and Ji Ye-eun (Jae-seok's B&B Rules!).
Nominees for Best New Male Entertainer include Kim Gyu-won (SNL Korea Season 8), Kim Seonho (Bonjour Bakery), Byeon Wooseok (Jae-seok's B&B Rules!), Car, the garden (Better Late Than Single), and Hu Deok-juk (Culinary Class Wars Season 2). The Best New Female Entertainer category features Kim Si-hyun (Baby Predator) (Culinary Class Wars Season 2), Kim Ye-won (EXchange 4), Shim Ja-yoon (Office Workers Season 2), Ahn Ju-mi (SNL Korea Season 8), and Mina-sue Choi (Single's Inferno Season 5).
Online voting for the final winners will take place from July 2 (Thursday) to July 30 (Thursday) via the voting platform Celeb Champ. The results of this vote will carry the same weight as one judge's vote.
The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards will be held on July 31 (Friday) at 8:30 PM at Paradise City Chroma in Incheon and will be broadcast live on KBS 2TV.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.