Park Bo Young Delivers Inspiring Speech Upon Winning Best Leading Actress Award
Park Bo Young won Best Leading Actress at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for her dual roles in "Our Unwritten Seoul," delivering an inspiring speech about overcoming self-doubt and appreciating others' hidden efforts behind their success.
The 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards ceremony took place on May 8 at COEX Hall D in the Gangnam district of Seoul, with hosts Shin Dong Yup, Suzy, and Park Bo Gum. Actress Park Bo Young won the Best Leading Actress award for television for her dual roles as Mi-ji and Mi-re in "Our Unwritten Seoul," delivering a touching speech about life, competition, and the tendency to compare oneself to others.
Introducing herself as "Park Bo Young, who played Mi-ji and Mi-re," she reflected on the series' central concept: "Have you ever felt that someone else's life looked better than your own?" She continued, "Even though my life might look enviable to others, I too have thought that others' lives looked better than mine. However, I've now realized that we may have only seen their talents, but never the effort behind them."
She described how she finds competition exhausting and constantly feels the need to prove her worth, but seeing talented actors around her motivated her not to fall behind. "Perhaps it's my stubborn refusal to lose that molded me into who I am today. I want to express my deepest respect and gratitude to all actors who have been both beautiful competitors and sometimes like pacemakers pushing me forward," she said.
Regarding her role in "Our Unwritten Seoul," Park Bo Young called it a "bold decision." She admitted to questioning her own confidence and skills before filming began, but found courage she didn't know she had while reading the script. "I'm grateful to the screenwriter who created a story I couldn't ignore. Living as Mi-ji and Mi-re was a fulfilling time, and I'm grateful to the director who guided me when I was confused between the two characters."
She concluded with heartfelt thanks to the entire team, including stand-in actors, and expressed gratitude to fans and viewers, saying, "If I'm reborn next life, I still want to be my parents' daughter. Without fans and viewers supporting us, nothing would have meaning."
Her speech's closing message went viral on social media: "To all the foxes and badgers in this world, yesterday is already over, tomorrow hasn't come yet, and today still holds no certainties. So let's try to live today as beautifully as we can." The Baeksang Arts Awards, established in 1965 to promote Korean popular culture and art while boosting artists' morale, celebrated its 62nd edition this year, with a new musical category added to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Korean musical theater.
