Yoo Ah-in nominated for best actor at Directors Cut Awards despite drug scandal

Actor Yoo Ah-in / Yonhap

The Director's Guild of Korea (DGK) has announced the nominees for the 23rd Director's Cut Awards, with actor Yoo Ah-in, who has been embroiled in a drug scandal, named as a nominee for best actor in the film category.

The awards ceremony is set for May 20 and will recognize films and drama series released between Jan. 1, 2023, and Mar. 31, 2024, by directors who are regular or associate members of the DGK.

First launched in 2000, the Directors Cut Awards launched a drama series category in 2022. Unlike other awards, nominees and winners are selected through vote by film directors.

The event honors creators with awards for best director, best screenplay, best new director, and the Vision Award, which recognizes achievements in independent cinema. In the acting categories, it makes no distinction between lead and supporting roles, and it also celebrates rising talents with special “breakthrough actor” awards.

In the film category, nominees for best director include Kim Hyung-joo for "The Match;" Nam Dong-hyeop for "Handsome Guys;" Bong Joon-ho for "Mickey 17;" Woo Min-ho for "Harbin;" Jang Jae-hyun for "Exhuma;" and Hur Jin-ho for "A Normal Family."

For best screenplay, nominees are Kim Hyung-joo and Yoon Jong-bin for "The Match;" Park Ri-woong for "The Land of Morning Calm;" Bong Joon-ho for "Mickey 17;" Oh Jung-min for "House of the Seasons;" and Jang Jae-hyun for "Exhuma."

Nominees for best actress in film include Kim Go-eun for both "Love in the Big City" and "Exhuma;" Kim Jae-hwa for "Blesser;" Shin Hae-sun for "Following;" and Yang Hee-kyung for "The Land of Morning Calm."

Yoo Ah-in is nominated for his role in "The Match," along with Robert Pattinson for "Mickey 17;" Yoon Joo-sang for "The Land of Morning Calm;" Lee Byung-hun for "The Match;" and Choi Min-sik for "Exhuma."

Yoo, who was sentenced to one year in prison last September for habitual drug use, was released in February after an appellate court granted him a suspended sentence.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.