Lee Yo-won (이요원)

Who Will Appeal Most to Advertisers?

Who will be the most sought-after model for commercials in 2010? Figure skating megastar Kim Yu-na (20) looks like the strongest contender, closely trailed by actress Ko Hyeon-jeong (39) who starred in the hugely popular MBC TV series "Queen Seon-deok" last year.

◆ Kim Yu-na

Kim is likely to maintain her position as the most sought-after commercial model in 2010. With high expectations that she will win an Olympic medal, she is the subject of intense competition among advertisers. Forbes.com recently picked Kim as one of the top-earning athletes of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It said she is a "marketing darling in her home country".And indeed Kim has a string of sponsorships from Hyundai Motor, Kookmin Bank and Nike, and the Haptic phone by Samsung Electronics s...More

Lee Byeong-Heon receives prize at Asian model awards

Actor Lee Byeong-Heon [Park Sung-ki/Asia Economic Daily]

Actor Lee Byeong-Heon gives his acceptance speech after receiving the award for top Asian star at the 2010 Asia Model Festival Awards held at the Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea on January 15, 2010....More

"2010 Asia Model Awards" was taken place on the 15th.

Many models from around Asia have come to this event along with different companies that have to do with fashion and culture.

Asia model Awar...More

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

There were no big surprises at the Drama Awards held by the three major networks ― KBS, SBS and MBC ― last year.

The Grand Prizes each went to Lee Byeong-Heon for his work in "IRIS" (KBS), Jang Seo-hee for "Temptation of Wife" (SBS) and Ko Hyeon-jeong for "Queen Seon-deok" (MBC).

Year-end drama awards have been criticized for being too generous when giving out awards and also not meeting the public's consensus. Last year's events were indeed generous, yet there were no decisions that caused anyone to shake their heads. However, there were distinctive trends that made the three events different from the past.

'30s Reigning the Small Screen

Unlike the pop industry where young idol bands are main stream, the older crowd is on top in the drama scene.

Lee, Jang and Ko are all in their '30s, beating their younger colleagues with their charisma, experience and impeccable acting skills.

Top prizes, including the Best Acting Awards, also went to actors and actresses in their thirties, including Chae Si-ra ("...More

Korean actress Ko Hyeon-jeong [MBC]

Top Korean actress Ko Hyeon-jeong won the grand prize at the MBC Acting Awards, held at MBC's Open Hall on Wednesday.

Ko, who won rave reviews for her portrayal of royal concubine Mi-shil in historical drama "Queen Seon-deok", won the year's top crown while many of her co-stars also collected their share of awards.

"I believe there was a moment when Mi-shil really came to life [during the show]", said Ko in her acceptance speech. "I was very nervous because I had never done a traditional drama before, but thank you for giving me the opportunity to wear a dress like this". The actress got teary and emotional when she added, " I hope my kids are watching this... "

"Queen Seon-deok" -- which was also voted Drama of the Year -- was handed a total of 12 awards, winning the count over another hit drama "My Wife is a Superwoman", which won 7 in total. Writers of both dramas were awarded Writer of the Year at the event....More