Despite being hailed as the crop of actors emerging from the contemporary South Korean entertainment industry, Vincenzo star Song Joong Ki and Train to Busan standout Gong Yoo have received the worst possible accolades celebs would rather wish away.
On December 24, Star News Korea unveiled the unfortunate recipients of the 8th Raspberry Film Festival / Sanddalki Awards, an annual ceremony recognising the worst offering to Korean cinema over the year. The festival, hosted by media outlet Sports Kyunghang, counted on 51 leading film journalists’ discretion to vote for the potential “losers” of the award ceremony for which Korean commercial films released between December 2023 and November 30, 2024, were eligible.
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Korean Raspberry Awards: Song Joong Ki listed as a recipient of the Worst Acting category
Three categories ranked K-industry artists and movies churning out the worst possible outcomes. The disastrous announcement lifted the lid on The Plot actor Kang Dong Won, leading the “Worst Acting” category. Having scored a 4.8/10 IMDb rating, the film’s massive failure was heavily attributed to the leading star’s “monotonous performance with no emotional depth.”
Surprisingly, no one came in second as the panel deemed it suitable to leave the rank vacant.
Ju Ji Hoon, who emerged as a significant inclusion in several 2024 K-dramas such as Love Your Enemy, Light Shop and Blood Free, took third place for his “over-the-top acting” in the action thriller Project Silence. Trailing behind him, the beloved “baby-faced” Song Joong Ki shared the fourth rank with Song Seung Hun. While the former was panned for his “inconsistent acting” and questionable Yanbian accent in My Name Is Loh Kiwan, the latter’s “flat performance (was) overshadowed by his co-stars” in Hidden Face.
Worst-behaved actors: Jung Woo Sung, Youn Yuh Jung, Jeon Do Yeon – Lee Sun Kyun, Kwak Do Won, Gong Yoo
Jung Woo Sung’s barely a month-old paternity controversy surpassed all other scandals surrounding the K-entertainment industry as the acclaimed actor’s name shot to the top of the “Worst Manners” table. Despite his indisputably unexpendable participation in the film 12.12: the Day that swept this year’s South Korean award shows, his romance with model Moon Ga Bi and subsequent childbirth became a greater cause for criticism. Jung is also believed to have been in a long-term relationship with a non-celebrity woman, but the timeline remains unclear. The public presumably couldn’t turn a blind eye to how he willingly pushed his “30-year untouchable image” down the drain doom in “just three days.”
Audiences disapproved of the Academy Award-winning South Korean actress Youn Yuh Jung (Minari) for her rude mannerisms, which included probing into journalists’ ages, exhibited during interviews. She was also slammed for indoor-smoking. Comments dragged her for being unable to discern the “fine line between being honest and being rude,” despite her veteran status in the industry.
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Jeon Do Yeon and the late actor Lee Sun Kyun secured the joint third place. The Revolver actress drew heat for her behaviour during the film promotions. She particularly came under fire for “taking a light-hearted joke to the extreme” while appearing on You Quiz on the Block with TV personality Yoo Jae Suk. Meanwhile, the Parasite actor was lambasted for his position as the prime contributor, fuelling group interviews with uneasiness.
Firefighters actor Kwak Do Won also became the prime subject of contentious headlines, especially after his DUI incident during the new film. Squid Game star Gong Yoo was another high-profile addition to the “Worst Manners” list, a spot he scored following his previous praises of former President Park Chung Hee. His purported tone-deaf responses in recent interviews only added to the issue.
Worst Korean films of 2024
On the other hand, the worst-to-worse film rankings awarded the top position to the much-detested film The Plot. Amazon Bullseye and Project Silence came in second and third. Multiple movies snagged enough votes to settle into fourth place. Wonderland, the multi-starred ensemble cast project (Park Bo Gum, Suzy, Gong Yoo, Tang Wei, Choi Woo Shik, Jung Yu Mi), was one of the three movies tied for the spot. Dead Man and Devils Stay were the other miserable rank-holders.