Netflix’s ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ wins grand prize at Blue Dragon Series Awards

The grand prize at this year’s Blue Dragon Series Awards (BSA) went to Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” which also swept three additional awards during July 18 night’s ceremony.

“I want to sincerely thank all the crew members who worked so hard on set through all four seasons, and I’m also truly grateful to all the viewers around the world who loved the show,” said actor Park Bo-gum, who played Gwan-sik in the series, after receiving the award. “It was an honor to be part of the series.”

The Netflix series, released in March, follows the life journeys of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, portrayed through all four seasons, from 1960 in Jeju to 2025 in Seoul.

Directed by Kim Won-suk and penned by Lim Sang-choon, who wrote the KBS hit romance series “When the Camellia Blooms” (2019), the drama features a star-studded lineup, including IU and Park Bo-gum alongside actors Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon.

“When Life Gives You Tangerine” also took home three other awards: Best Actress for IU, Best Supporting Actress for Yeom Hye-ran and Popular Star awards for both IU and Park Bo-gum.

While receiving Best Actress, IU, who portrayed both Ae-sun and her daughter Geum-myeong, got emotional as she expressed her gratitude to the show’s staff, cast and fans.

“’When Life Gives You Tangerines’ is and will be, from the moment I was first offered the role, through filming, waiting for it to air, during the broadcast and even now — and I’m sure in the future as well — one of the proudest works in my life,” IU said.

“Lastly, I want to dedicate my deepest respect and gratitude to all the Ae-suns who have lived their lives more vividly than anyone else in a world that constantly pressured them to live in a blur, and to all the Geum-myeongs out there who planted and nurtured their dreams with determination.”

Netflix’s “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” also earned three awards, including Best Drama, Best Actor for Ju Ji-hoon and Best New Actor for Choo Young-woo.

The Best Supporting Actor award went to Lee Kwang-soo for Netflix’s “Karma,” while Best New Actress was awarded to Kim Min-ha for her role in Tving series “Way Back Love.”

For the variety show category, Netflix’s hit cooking survival show “Culinary Class Wars” (2024) won the Best Entertainment Program award, with cartoonist Kian84 taking home Best Male Entertainer and comedian Lee Su-ji winning Best Female Entertainer.

The Best New Entertainer awards went to Moon Sang-hoon and Oh My Girl’s Mimi. Singer-actor Lee Hye-ri and actor Lee Jun-hyuk received the Popular Star awards, alongside IU and Park Bo-gum.

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