The ENA drama 'Scarecrow' has achieved the remarkable feat of securing the most nominations for the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards.

The nominees, announced by the Blue Dragon Series Awards secretariat on July 1, were selected from dramas and variety shows released on domestic and international streaming platforms between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.

A total of five works (in alphabetical order) have been nominated for Best Drama: 'Made in Korea', 'Yumi's Cells Season 3', 'Eunjung and Sangyeon', 'Becoming a Legend of a Mess Sergeant', and 'Scarecrow', setting the stage for a fierce competition.

'Scarecrow' earned the honor of being the most-nominated work, with nods in six categories, including Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best New Actor and Actress. However, while one of the drama's two leads, Park Hae-soo, was nominated for Best Actor, the exclusion of Kim Hee-jun from the acting categories has raised questions.

Park Ji-hoon's series comeback, 'Becoming a Legend of a Mess Sergeant', followed closely behind with nominations in four categories (five total nominations), including Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best New Actor. Park Ji-hoon, who rose to fame as a 16-million-ticket-selling actor with 'The Man Who Lives with the King', is now aiming for his first-ever Best Actor award since his debut.

The Best Actor category will feature a contest between Park Hae-soo ('Scarecrow'), Park Ji-hoon ('Becoming a Legend of a Mess Sergeant'), Kim Seon-ho ('Can This Love Be Interpreted?'), Kim Woo-bin ('All Your Wishes Will Come True'), and Hyun Bin ('Made in Korea'). The Best Actress category also promises intense competition, with nominees Go Yoon-jung ('Can This Love Be Interpreted?'), Kim Go-eun ('Eunjung and Sangyeon'), Park Bo-young ('Gold Land'), Park Ji-hyun ('Eunjung and Sangyeon'), and Shin Hye-sun ('Lady Dua').

Nominees for Best Supporting Actor include Yoon Kyung-ho ('Becoming a Legend of a Mess Sergeant'), Lee Kwang-soo ('Gold Land'), Lee Sang-yi ('Becoming a Legend of a Mess Sergeant'), Jung Moon-sung ('Scarecrow'), and Jin Seon-kyu ('Aema'). In the Best Supporting Actress category, Kwak Sun-young ('Scarecrow'), Moon Jung-hee ('Gold Land'), Park Bo-kyung ('Lady Dua'), Seo Eun-soo ('Made in Korea'), and Im Soo-jung ('Pah-in: The Hillbillies') will battle for the final award.

For the Best New Actor award, a once-in-a-lifetime honor, the nominees are Kim Jae-won ('Yumi's Cells Season 3'), Kim Jin-wook ('Pah-in: The Hillbillies'), Baek Seon-ho ('Girigo'), Song Geon-hee ('Scarecrow'), and Lee Hong-nae ('Becoming a Legend of a Mess Sergeant'). Meanwhile, the Best New Actress category features Kim Min ('Pah-in: The Hillbillies'), Bang Hyo-rin ('Aema'), Seo Ji-hye ('Scarecrow'), Arin ('S-Line'), and Jeon So-young ('Girigo').

The variety show category is equally impressive, drawing attention with a star-studded lineup. 'Dri-ver: The Rival', 'Single by Birth, But Want to Date', 'Yoo Jae-suk Camp', 'Office Workers Season 2', and 'Culinary Class Wars Season 2' have been nominated for Best Variety Show.

The most highly anticipated categories, Best Male Entertainer and Best Female Entertainer, have also revealed their nominees. For the male category, Kim Won-hoon ('SNL Korea Season 8'), Shin Dong-yup ('SNL Korea Season 8'), Yoo Jae-suk ('Yoo Jae-suk Camp'), Lee Kwang-soo ('Yoo Jae-suk Camp'), and Joo Woo-jae ('Dri-ver: The Rival') are in the running. The female category features Kim Sook ('Dri-ver: The Rival'), Lee Soo-ji ('SNL Korea Season 8'), Lee Eun-ji ('Single by Birth, But Want to Date'), Jung Yi-rang ('Sister's Tea Room'), and Ji Ye-eun ('Yoo Jae-suk Camp').

Nominees for Best New Male Entertainer include Kim Gyu-won ('SNL Korea Season 8'), Kim Seon-ho ('Bonjour Bakery'), Byun Woo-seok ('Yoo Jae-suk Camp'), Car, the garden ('Single by Birth, But Want to Date'), and Hu Deok-juk ('Culinary Class Wars Season 2'). The Best New Female Entertainer category will see competition between Kim Si-hyun (Baby Beast) ('Culinary Class Wars Season 2'), Kim Ye-won ('Transit Love 4'), Shim Ja-yoon ('Office Workers Season 2'), Ahn Ju-mi ('SNL Korea Season 8'), and Choi Mina-soo ('Single's Inferno Season 5').

Netizen voting to determine the final winners will take place from July 2 (Thursday) to July 30 (Thursday) via the voting platform 'Celeb Champ' app. The results of this vote will carry the same weight as one judge's vote.

The 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards will be held on July 31 (Friday) at 8:30 PM at Paradise City Chroma in Incheon and will be broadcast live on KBS 2TV.

Reported by Kim Ji-hye | SBS Entertainment News