The wave of mourning for the late Lee Sun Kyun continued at the 2023 SBS Drama Awards.
At the 2023 SBS Drama Awards held on the 29th in SBS Prism Tower in Mapo-gu, Seoul, many expressed their condolences to the deceased.
Following Lee Sun Kyun’s tragic death two days prior, most of the actors wore black as a dress code to the award ceremony. The actors from Lee Sun Kyun’s last work, “Payback” did not attend the awards ceremony. Although Kang Yoo Seok was announced as the winner of the Rookie Actor Award, he did not attend. Seo Jeong Yeon won the Best Supporting Actress award for a different work but also did not attend. Moon Chae Won, who was announced as the winner of the Best Actress award, also did not attend. The MCs announced that they would deliver the trophies on their behalf, stating “unavoidable circumstances” and “personal reasons.”
Singer Hwasa changed her stage to express her condolences. Although she initially prepared a glamorous performance, she changed it due to the heartbreaking incident. Hwasa appeared in a black dress and performed “LMM” with closed eyes, showcasing her emotional vocals.
Actor Jin Sun Kyu, who won the Best Performance award, remembered the late actor in his acceptance speech. He expressed his sorrow, saying, “There were many painful and sad events at the end of 2023,” and wished that it would be remembered as a somewhat beautiful memory next year for all actors.
In particular, Park Sung Woong expressed his thoughts solely for him during his acceptance speech. He said, “I hope you can rest peacefully in a peaceful world without pain or worries. Today is the day we sent you to heaven, and my brother I received an award. I dedicate this award to you, who always acted sincerely. Farewell, my dongsang [younger brother],” adding to the sorrow.
Kim Nam Gil, who had attended the funeral processions just a couple of hours back said, “I hope the actors and actresses who worked hard this year will reach a level of comfort next year.”
Lee Je Hoon, who won the Daesang award said, “Today is a very painful day. Personally, I didn’t have a connection to his works, and the moments we spent together were fleeting. However, watching the path he walked on inspired me to dream of becoming an actor and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I want to present this award to him. I sincerely hope he had a comfortable and happy time in heaven after all the hardships.”
