The Red Sleeve's Lee Jun-ho makes history, becomes the first idol-actor to win a Baeksang

2PM member and actor Lee Jun-ho made history at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards by becoming the first idol-actor to win the Best Actor award in the TV category for his role in the sageuk drama The Red Sleeve.

The prestigious award show took place on May 6 at KINTEX (aka the Korea International Exhibition Center), which is in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. One of the most coveted awards in the field of film, television, and theater in South Korea, the ceremony was broadcast live on JTBC, JTBC2, and JTBC4.

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Lee Jun-ho won two awards at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards

Although the actor-idol made his debut in the 2013 film Cold Eyes, his portrayal of King Jeongjo in The Red Sleeve is widely considered his best performance so far, and it is well-deserving of the Baeksang.

The actor's reaction to receiving the award was as heartwarming as that of his fans. On being announced as the winner of Best Actor, Lee Jun-ho, full of emotions, said:

“I honestly really wanted to win this award, but I thought a lot about whether I should prepare for the acceptance speech. That’s because my imagination and reality can be different."

He confessed that winning a Baeksang for Best Actor was a dream come true:

"Yesterday, before I went to bed, I strongly felt that I wanted to win this award."

Lee Jun-ho concluded his speech by promising to continue perfecting his craft:

“I’m a person who dreams for the things I want to achieve. I dream of becoming a better person, one that all of you or myself are satisfied with. I will do much better in the future."

In winning the award, Lee Jun-ho beat several talented actors, including Jung Hae-in (whose performance in D.P. had made him a fan favorite) and Lee Jung-jae (who needs no introduction).

Incidentally, the Best Actor award was not the only one the Wok of Love actor took home that day. Lee Jun-ho also won the Tiktok Popularity Award at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards. While giving a speech for this award, the actor-idol thanked all his fans, who aggressively voted for him to win the award:

“Receiving this award because of many fans who voted all day and night. I’ve heard that I’ve received a lot of love. I honestly said that this is my first time having this kind of award. From the deep in my heart, I want to thank those who have spent their time voting for me. As 2PM’s Junho, I feel honored to receive this kind of love from all of you."

The Red Sleeve was one of 2021's most loved dramas, with its two final episodes achieving average nationwide viewership ratings of 17 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively.