Summary

• Kim Ji-won's portrayal of Hong Hae-in in Queen of Tears is a key factor in the show's success.
• Kim Ji-won deserves recognition for her performance in Queen of Tears just as much as Kim Soo-hyun.
• Queen of Tears would not have succeeded without the chemistry and performances of both Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun.

I’m really disappointed that Kim Ji-won’s name is being left out of award contention for Queen of Tears' success. Though Kim Ji-won isn't the only person who deserves praise for their role in Queen of Tears, as the female lead of the K-drama, Kim Ji-won should be just as high on the list as her male co-star, Kim Soo-hyun.

Kim Ji-won's career is full of many great performances, but Queen of Tears is easily one of Crash Landing on You's replacement K-drama made her one of the most talked about actors of 2024. This one of the reasons why I'm so surprised Kim Ji-won is being left out of the conversation when it comes to awards, especially as Queen of Tears’ success was a t effort.

Kim Soo-hyun Rightfully Received Several Award Nominations For Queen of Tears (But Kim Ji-won Has Only Received One)

Kim Soo-hyun's Performance Was Just As Good As Kim Ji-won's

Currently, Kim Soo-hyun has received four awards nominations for his role in Queen of Tears. If you regard the success of Queen of Tears so far and how many awards Kim Soo-hyun's previous projects have awarded him, this isn’t many. However, it’s significantly more than others involved in Queen of Tears. One of these award nominations even included a coveted Baeksang Award, which is one of the most prestigious awards in South Korea. Though Kim Soo-hyun ultimately didn't win in his category as Best Actor, his portrayal of Baek Hyun-woo in Queen of Tears made him a very worthy candidate.

The veteran actor has given many incredible performances throughout his career, but Queen of Tears is one of Kim Soo-hyun's best K-dramas. Kim Soo-hyun effortlessly balances different emotions, often in the same scene, and proves just how good he is at portraying despair as well as comedy. Along with this, Kim Soo-hyun makes Hyun-woo's character progression seem smooth and natural, allowing us to root for Hae-in and Hyun-woo's relationship from beginning to end. Kim Soo-hyun deserves the accolades he is being given, but it makes Kim Ji-won's lack of nominations even more disappointing.

Compared to her co-star, Kim Ji-won has only one award nomination for Outstanding Asian Star in the Seoul International Drama Awards. It's great to see Kim Ji-won's name start to creep up in the awards spotlight, especially as her category sees her go up against several outstanding actresses, including Kim Hye-yoon, Go Youn-jung, and Park Bo-young as well as actresses from all across Asia. However, her success should match that of Kim Soo-hyun's as their performances were just as good as each other's.

Why Kim Ji-won Deserves Just As Much Recognition As Kim Soo-hyun For Queen Of Tears

Queen Of Tears Could Not Succeed Without Either Of Them

One of the big reasons why Queen of Tears was so successful is Hae-in and Hyun-woo's relationship. Their K-drama romance is unconventional, as Hae-in and Hyun-woo go from a married couple that hates each other to a divorced couple that is inseparable. With so much focus on the ups and downs of their relationship, Hae-in and Hyun-woo's chemistry had to be top-notch. Fortunately, Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won could not have been better cast and delivered great individual performances that balanced each other perfectly.

Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won's chemistry as a K-drama couple is off-the-charts and really drives home the emotional turbulence that surrounds Queen of Tears. Queen of Tears' storyline is far from realistic, yet Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun's natural portrayal of the married couple is completely engrossing. Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun deliver the tiny details of each scene with ease, and without them, Queen of Tears' romantic fantasy certainly would not have been so successful. Together, Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun are equally matched powerhouses, yet their individual performances are just as good.

Hae-in's character development feels natural in an unnatural landscape, which is a testament to Kim Ji-won's acting skills and makes her lack of recognition even more saddening.

Kim Soo-hyun's Baek Hyun-woo is the foundation of Queen of Tears while Kim Ji-won's portrayal of Hong Hae-in is its driving force. At first glance, Hong Hae-in is just another CEO with an attitude problem. Yet, Kim Ji-won gives her performance a lot of nuance to make up for Hae-in's stoic exterior. Hae-in's innermost thoughts can be read with the most minute of expressions and every action is calculated but natural. Hae-in's character development feels natural in an unnatural landscape, which is a testament to Kim Ji-won's acting skills and makes her lack of recognition even more upsetting.

Is There Still A Chance For Kim Ji-won To Receive Recognition For Her Role?

There Could Be More Awards For Queen Of Tears In The Future

Though it's frustrating that Kim Ji-won has not received any awards so far for Queen of Tears, there is certainly a chance for her to receive recognition in the next award cycle. Queen of Tears aired at an awkward time. Most award shows were already over, or in the case of the Baeksang Awards, the eligibility period meant that Queen of Tears just made the cut despite having only partially aired. This cut-off certainly hurt Kim Ji-won's chances as the latter half of the series is where she really stood out.

Hopefully, Queen of Tears will continue to build on the momentum it has gained from its time on air and recognize the efforts of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won equally.

This means that Kim Ji-won's chances of award success are much higher with the awards season as Queen of Tears has now aired in its entirety and really shown just how powerful Kim Ji-won's presence can be. Hopefully, Queen of Tears will continue to build on the momentum it has gained from its time on air and recognize the efforts of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won equally. Queen of Tears could not have succeeded without both of these incredible actors and I hope there are more awards to come in both of their futures.