Lee Byung-hun Wins Best Actor at Daejong Film Awards

Lee Byung-hun took home the award for best actor for his role in the crime flick "Inside Men" at this year's Daejong Film Awards in Seoul on Tuesday.

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The film, directed by Woo Min-ho, collected four more awards out of 23 categories -- best film, best production, best director and best scriptwriter.

But what was touted as Korea's most prestigious movie awards has turned into a farce in recent years over its bureaucracy and unscrupulousness.

Last year, the organizing committee was criticized as it warned actors that they would have to attend the awards ceremony if they wanted to win the award, but none of the nominees for best actor and actress showed up. Also this year, many winners and nominees including Son Ye-jin, who won best actress for "The Last Princess", were absent.

Lee appealed for efforts to solve problems together in his acceptance speech.

"I was excited and honored when I won the new actor award 20 years ago", Lee said. "In order for young actors to feel the same 20 years later, I hope all of us make efforts to keep the honorable awards that our seniors created more than 50 years ago".

What should be a grand festival in the film business ended quietly without getting much attention but at least there was little controversy over the winners this year.

"I think the Daejong Film Awards are still the most prestigious film awards", said Jeong Jung-hun, chairman of the organizing committee. "Seventeen judges tried to be as strict and impartial as possible in selection, watching all the submitted films for eight days".