VIDEO Lee Young-ja wins grand prize at 2018 MBC Entertainment Awards

Lee Young-ja has won the grand prize at 2018 MBC Entertainment Awards. Yonhap

By Lee Min-young

Comedian Lee Young-ja has become the first woman to win the grand prizes from two of Korea's three major broadcasters.

Lee, 50, cried on Sunday after claiming the highest award for her role in the reality show, “Omniscient Interfering View.”

With her grand prize from KBS last week, Lee has become the first woman ― and only the third person after Kang Ho-dong and Yoo Jae-Seok ― to receive the biggest honors from two of the three largest broadcasters ― KBS, SBS and MBC.

"I was nervous and all shaky when I first stood up here to receive the Rookie of the Year award in 1992, and today I feel almost the same,” said an emotional Lee.

She attributed her achievement to the 70 staff, who always worked hard in front of and behind the cameras to make a successful show.

“Whenever I think about the people who are dedicated to making the program … it motivates me and it pushes me to work hard,” she said.

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to watch the full version of her speech.

The award ceremony had an average viewership rating of 14.5 percent for the first half and 18.8 percent for its second half, according to Nielsen Korea. When Lee was giving a speech after receiving the award, the ratings soared to 23.3 percent.

Lee, who made her debut as a comedian in 1991, rose to fame after appearing in popular comedy shows. Today she is in her second heyday as a foodie, who not only enjoys eating but also sharing her food experience ― a big factor that has made the show a success. After each episode, the food she ate became one of the most searched keywords on major portal sites. She also appeared on popular food programs like Olive's “Bob (Rice) Bless You.”