[Sportschosun Ahn So-yoon] It is a god-given talent that no one can deny. Comedian Kim Won-hoon, 37, shed the label of the "king without a crown" and took home the Best Male Entertainer Award trophy at The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards.
At last year's 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards, Kim was nominated for Best Male Entertainer and competed against some of Korea's top entertainers. He fell just short of the prize, but returned a year later and finally claimed the honor. By now, Kim has become an indispensable part of "SNL Korea." His sharp contrast between dialogue and facial expressions, along with his unique rhythm for pushing awkward situations forward, is truly unmatched. In Season 8, he has shown his full comedic range by moving effortlessly between a handsome clinic director in "Smile Clinic" and Mr. Kim, a salaryman who laughs and cries over stocks.
When Kim Won-hoon's name was called at The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards on July 31, he received enthusiastic congratulations from the crew, including Shin Dong-yup, the head of "SNL Korea." Still looking dazed, he walked onto the stage, pulled out a Death Note, and joked, "I was going to write down the names of the Blue Dragon staff here. But since you gave me the award, I'll spare you." His witty acceptance speech drew laughter from the entire venue. He also expressed heartfelt thanks to his family and to senior and junior colleagues.
Reunited with Sportschosun after the ceremony, Kim said, "It feels strange. I met Dong-yup hyung yesterday too, and I didn't know what to say. I was so grateful, but I thought he might feel burdened if I expressed that. Actually, both on 'SNL Korea' and on other programs, Dong-yup hyung took really good care of me. He covered for my shortcomings both as a person and on air."
He said he watched the video later, after the ceremony. "I didn't know Dong-yup hyung was that happy for me right beside me. When I thanked him, he jokingly said, 'I only did that because there was a camera.' When I asked, 'So it was all acting?' he said, 'Of course it was acting. I didn't congratulate you that sincerely.' We joke like that all the time, but Dong-yup hyung was one of the people who truly congratulated me from the heart," he said, expressing his gratitude.
This year, The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards divided the male and female entertainer awards into top and excellence categories. Asked whether that made him even more hopeful, Kim said, "Honestly, I thought the Best Male Entertainer Award was a battle between Dong-yup hyung and Jae-suk hyung, so I felt relaxed. I also thought the Excellence Award was definitely mine. I had already cleared space at home for the Blue Dragon Series Awards trophy, but I was so disappointed when Woo-jae hyung won. I had given up on the Best Male Entertainer Award, but Dong-yup hyung kept saying, 'It's you! It's you!' next to me. I thought of it as part of the comedy and stood up as if I were the one receiving it. But once my name was actually called, I blacked out. For a few seconds, everything went blank and I had no idea where to go. Watching the award video later, I saw that Ji-yoon had asked for a high-five, and Teacher Hudeok-juk had also reached out first. Ji-mi also tried to congratulate me but missed the timing, so when I saw that video, I thought, 'Wow, I was really out of it.'"
Kim Won-hoon has drawn attention every year with his standout presence at the Blue Dragon Series Awards. Last year, after missing out on the Male Entertainer Award, he borrowed Lee Su-ji's microphone and delivered the acceptance speech he had prepared in advance, drawing laughter. Returning to the stage a year later as a winner, he once again showed quick wit and delivered big laughs. Looking back on the moment, Kim said, "Once I actually got the award, I forgot everything I had prepared. Whenever stars say, 'You forget everything when you win,' I used to think that sounded cringey, but I really did forget everything. Even getting the first line of the speech out was hard. I only realized later from the video that I had said, 'Hello, I am comedian Kim Won-hoon.' I only came back to my senses when I pulled out the Death Note. Honestly, I prepared the Death Note reaction because I thought I wouldn't win. I ordered two versions from Coupang. I checked both on screen, thought about which one would be funnier, and brought the one that got final approval. I thought it would be funny if the camera caught me writing in the Death Note after losing, but I never imagined I would end up mentioning it in my acceptance speech."
Jo Jin-se and Eom Ji-yoon, who helped create laughs with him on the YouTube channel Short Box, played a big role in Kim Won-hoon's rise. The three comedians, who are senior and junior colleagues from the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), endured years of obscurity together and became a strong source of support for one another. The sketch-comedy YouTube channel Short Box has grown into a hugely popular channel with more than 3.97 million subscribers as of the 18th.
Kim said, "When I won this time, I thought a lot about Jin-se and Ji-yoon. There are many other seniors and colleagues I worked with too, but I kept thinking about the early days. On stage, after I came down, and even on the way home, I called them first because I was so grateful. When I told them, 'I was able to win thanks to you,' Ji-yoon said, 'Huh? You won?' I thought they were watching the ceremony, but it seemed Jin-se checked it late too. Seeing that, I wondered, 'Am I the only one who values these people this much?' I look up everything those two do. I guess that's the fate of a leader. After winning Best Male Entertainer, I received more congratulatory messages than I had since passing the comedian audition. It was the first congratulations I had received in 10 years, but the group chat with Jin-se and Ji-yoon was strangely quiet." He added, "I thought they were either crying after being moved by my speech or trying to collect themselves, but they really didn't know. I don't think they meant anything bad. After that, we talked about the hard times we went through before, congratulated each other, and shared both sorrow and joy."
When Kim Won-hoon teared up during his acceptance speech, viewers were moved as well. Netizens left countless comments such as, "So comedians really are sad when they cry," "This is what someone who has achieved their dream looks like," and "Maybe this is Kim Won-hoon's first true human moment," sending sincere congratulations and support. Kim said, "When I cry, I cry like a child. I want to shed just one cool tear and wipe it away with my middle finger, but that doesn't really work." He added, "I usually monitor all the comments on videos from channels I'm on. I'm sensitive to negative comments, so I only watch videos with positive ones."
He also did not forget the congratulations from the woman he loves most in the world, his wife. Kim said, "After the ceremony, I had a small dinner with the staff and got home around 1:30 a.m. My wife was still crying then, and when I asked why, she said it was all so amazing and she was so grateful. We talked about everything afterward while looking at the bouquet and the trophy."
For Kim Won-hoon, the Blue Dragon Series Awards trophy became a meaningful gift that reminded him of his original mindset. He said, "It still feels amazing to work with seniors I grew up watching. When I think, 'When would I ever get to do a show with Dong-yup hyung?' or 'When would I ever build chemistry with Jae-suk sunbae?' every moment feels grateful." He added, "I've been in the industry for more than 10 years, and this is my 11th year as a comedian, but I only really started active broadcasting in early 2022. It hasn't been that long. Over the past five years, a lot has happened, so sometimes I worry about whether I can keep going. But I also feel how much love I've received. You never know what life will bring, so I want to do comedy happily, one day at a time."
Ahn So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
