A laughable yet awkward moment played out at the Blue Dragon Series Awards (BSA) on Friday due to a name mix-up between two male actors, Lee Jun-young and Lee Jun-hyuk.

During the 4th BSA ceremony, announcer Jeon Hyun-moo, who was the ceremony's host, announced the winners of the Popular Star award: IU, Park Bo-gum, Lee Hye-ri and Lee Jun-hyuk.


However, instead of Lee Jun-hyuk coming up to the stage, Lee Jun-young walked toward the center, likely due to mishearing the name, as the two names sound very similar when not heard clearly.

Later, Jeon clarified, confirming Lee Jun-hyuk as the actual winner and invited him to the stage.

“It’s Lee Jun-hyuk,” announcer Jeon said. “Lee Jun-young is also a popular star, but this year’s Popular Star award went to Lee Jun-hyuk. I should have pronounced it more clearly.”

Despite the awkward moment, both actors exchanged smiles and the award with good spirits, even sharing a hug.

“I’ve always gone around telling people that I’m a fun person and I’m glad a moment like this happened to prove it,” Lee Jun-hyuk said after receiving the award. “I used to think it’d be nice to have a funny moment while receiving an award someday and I guess it’s actually happened. I’m really happy about it.”

Later, after the ceremony, both actors shared messages through Instagram stories, with Lee Jun-young saying, “I couldn’t hear clearly during the event and ended up making a silly mistake. I want to apologize again to Lee Jun-hyuk and his fans. Congratulations on your award!”

Lee Jun-hyuk also recalled a similar experience during the 2023 Asia Artist Awards (AAA), when he almost stood up to receive an award while Lee Jun-young was announced as the winner for Best Acting Performance for his role in “Mask Girl” (2023).

“Jun-young, it was funny thanks to you, so don’t worry too much,” Lee Jun-hyuk said in his post. “I made the same kind of mistake at the AAA, too. Looks like we’re kind of meant to be. Let’s grab a meal together next time!”

While both actors have taken the incident in good humor, some of Lee Jun-young’s fans expressed frustration, leaving comments on announcer Jeon’s Instagram such as, “Jeon Hyun-moo, as a former announcer, please pronounce properly,” and “I believe a sincere apology is needed.”

Hosted by announcer Jeon and Girls’ Generation’s Yoona, the 4th BSA took place at Paradise City in Incheon on Friday.

The ceremony's grand prize went to Netflix's “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” It also featured special performances from singer-actor Yim Si-wan, performance unit Jaessbee and girl group KiiKii.

The BSA, launched in 2022, is an awards ceremony dedicated to recognizing content produced for streaming platforms.


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]