Kim Tae Ri has just been awarded the Grand Prize at the 2024 SeoulCon APAN Star Awards for her outstanding role in Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born.

The event took place on December 28th at the Art Hall 1 of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. This year’s prestigious Grand Prize was given to Kim Tae Ri, recognizing her exceptional performance in the hit tvN drama Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born.

Kim Tae Ri expressed her gratitude, saying, “Whenever I receive an award like this, I always wonder if I can ever be calm. At the APAN Awards, I received the Best New Actress award for my role as Go Ae Shin in my first drama, Mr. Sunshine. Now, I am so thankful to the judges for awarding me the Grand Prize as well.”

Reflecting on her time working on Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born, she continued, “Spending such a long time with this drama made it feel surreal when it ended. I realized I hadn’t fully grasped the emotions. It was like leaving a room without turning off the light. As I thought about my acceptance speech, I wanted to remember and reflect on how I felt during that time, instead of focusing on how I feel now.”

Kim Tae Ri also shared a touching memory, “I remember singing a song from the drama quietly in a taxi. The driver asked why I was singing so quietly. He told me it reminded him of his mother and shared childhood stories with me. In the busy and tiring moments of life, I hope the viewers found happiness during the time Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born aired. I want to share the joy and emotions I experienced, whether filming by the beach, in the forest, or under the sun. I believe those feelings naturally came through in my performance.”

The actress went on to express her hopes for the future: “If I have one big wish, it’s for women’s traditional Korean theater (Gukgeuk) to truly find its place in our cultural arts, to be preserved, and passed down. That’s my hope.”

Wrapping up her speech, Kim Tae Ri offered a heartfelt message: “The weather is cold, and I believe 2024 has been especially tough for everyone. I hope that 2025 will bring true peace and prosperity to everyone.”

The 2024 SeoulCon APAN Star Awards is an all-encompassing drama awards ceremony that honors content from all platforms, including terrestrial, cable, and OTT channels.

Organized by the Korea Entertainment Management Association and the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency, the event recognized the best drama content from November 2023 to October 2024 across 19 categories.

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SBS's new fantasy historical drama The Haunted Palace is already making waves both in South Korea and around the world.

Starring Yook Sung Jae and Bona, the show exploded in popularity during its very first week — topping Netflix charts in multiple countries and hitting double-digit TV ratings straight out of the gate.

On Korean television, The Haunted Palace shocked viewers with a strong start. Episode 1 pulled in a peak nationwide rating of 10.7%, instantly breaking the double-digit barrier.

The Seoul area rating and the national average were both 9.2%, making it the highest-rated premiere of any SBS drama in 2025 so far.

It also beat out other SBS dramas like Love Scout and Buried Hearts, and even took the #1 spot among all mini-series aired that week, showing that this drama isn’t just trending — it’s leading the pack. (According to Nielsen Korea)

And the success didn’t stop on TV.

As soon as The Haunted Palace dropped on Netflix, it jumped straight to #1 on “Today’s Top 10 TV Shows in South Korea”, proving its massive popularity on streaming platforms.

Globally, it also ranked #1 in the TV series category in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, showing that international fans are just as hooked.
(According to FlixPatrol, April 21)

The drama is also doing incredibly well on South Korea’s own streaming trend charts. On KinoLights — a platform that tracks trends across all streaming services — The Haunted Palace ranked #1 overall, beating both films and dramas. (As of April 19)

Fans are loving the unique story, which mixes fantasy, comedy, and creepy mystery. The drama follows Yeori, a shaman who denies her fate, and Kang Cheol I, a mythical Imoogi spirit trapped inside her first love’s body. Together, they face off against a terrifying ghost called Palcheok Gui — who has a dark grudge against the royal family.

Episode 2 added even more excitement, with Kang Cheol I hilariously struggling to live like a normal human after 1,000 years.

At the same time, Yeori starts hearing the voice of Yoon Gap’s spirit and tries to save him. By the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Prince Wonja (played by Park Jae Joon) is going mad due to Palcheok Gui — and that the ghost has already consumed Yoon Gap’s soul. The showdown between Kang Cheol I, Yeori, and the evil spirit is just getting started.

With high ratings and top OTT rankings, The Haunted Palace is quickly becoming one of the biggest drama hits of the year.

Episode 3 of The Haunted Palace airs on Friday, April 25 at 9:50 PM KST on SBS.

Source: [1]