It was an all-time battle.
After a fierce back-and-forth contest that was impossible to predict until the very end, Kim Hye-yoon, the breakout star who dominated both living rooms and screens in South Korea in the first half of 2026, took home the trophy.
Kim Hye-yoon finished first in the Cheongryong Ranking first-half 2026 vote, which ended on the 7th.
In a head-to-head showdown that put the pride of Korea's leading actresses on the line, Kim Hye-yoon emerged as the final winner with a powerful 49.95 percent of the vote.
The women's acting category was a relentless, nerve-racking race right up until the voting deadline.
Park Eun-bin, who surged early with strong momentum as she chased her first Cheongryong Ranking trophy, had a chance to win with a high 43.96 percent share of the vote.
But in the final stretch, she could not overcome the wall built by Kim Hye-yoon's solid fandom and ultimately fell short, finishing second.
Since her debut in 2013, Kim Hye-yoon has built a strong acting foundation through numerous minor and supporting roles. She made a striking impression as Kang Ye-seo in JTBC's "Sky Castle," rising to the ranks of a breakout star.
She later landed a lead role in MBC's "Extraordinary You," and last year she played Im Sol in tvN's "Lovely Runner," driving a syndrome-level hit and firmly establishing herself as a proven box-office draw.
With each project, Kim Hye-yoon has pushed past her own limits and built a one-of-a-kind career.
In SBS's fantasy romantic comedy "No Tail to Tell," which premiered earlier this year, she played Eun-ho, a Gen Z gumiho who refuses to become human. With her bubbly charm and solid acting, she quickly won over television audiences.
Riding the drama's success, she expanded her reach to the big screen as well.
In the mystery horror film "Salmokji: Whispering Water," released in April, she played Su-in, a charismatic team leader who heads a filming crew. She delivered a dramatic transformation, completely different from her previous roles, and earned praise from both critics and audiences.
She did not stop there. In the crime film "Land," set in a former mining town with a casino, she plays the youngest bank employee, a character whose next move is impossible to predict. Working alongside veteran actresses Yum Jung-ah and Cha Joo-young, she is showing the ticket power expected of a rising Chungmuro star.
Fans have always stood by Kim Hye-yoon as she moves between television and film. In this first-half review vote as well, she was able to claim the trophy thanks to the support of fans who showed their strength at the very last moment.
Meanwhile, Cheongryong Ranking is run jointly by Sportschosun, the organizer of the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Blue Dragon Series Awards, and Celeb Champ. Along with monthly winners, it also selects half-year winners to spotlight the stars driving trends and generating buzz. Trophies are awarded to the half-year winners chosen every six months in the categories of male actor, female actor, male singer and female singer.
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
