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| Kim Gura, right, nominated for Grand Prize at 2019 SBS Entertainment Award broadcast live from SBS Prism Tower at Seoul's Mapo District, Sangam area, Saturday, was disheartened and critical of the broadcaster for nominating "same old" celebrities like himself. Left from Kim is the event host Kim Sung-joo. |
By Ko Dong-hwan
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| Yu Jae-seok. Courtesy of MBC |
Joining the broadcaster's year-end entertainment award show at SBS Prism Tower in Seoul's Sangam area in Mapo District and aired Saturday, Kim, 49, was nominated among eight for the highest honor of Grand Prize. When the host asked him before the winner was announced what he felt about being nominated, the reply was far from appreciative ― it was instead a laceration of the broadcaster.
"I don't understand this," he said regarding his nomination for the prize― meaning he did not deserve it. "And the question must be more puzzling for the viewers watching right now. The eight candidates, it seems to me, are not all worthy of the honor. The broadcaster must have nominally made up the candidates just to fill the roster."
To host Kim Sung-joo's dismay, Kim continued, saying the award show must "stop using the same old nomination candidates over and over each year. Because there are many TV shows at the network with considerable longevity of five to 10 years, the award show rather just chooses one from those lists to award and as a result keeps awarding the same celebrities over and over."
He added that the nominees list would have been better if it was shortened to a final three without unworthy nominees, including himself. He mentioned comedians Shin Dong-yup, Yu Jae-seok and chef-tainer Paik Jong-won as truly worthy nominees.
Kim also said the award show's two hour-long program lacked content and instead turned out a hackneyed talent show of the nominees. He implied that the problem was repetitive throughout the country's three broadcasters ― MBC, SBS and KBS ― but because of TV advertising, each broadcaster has been hosting its own award show despite the problem. He said the broadcasters "must start discussing jointly hosting a year-end award show."
Following his comments, the country's portal sites showed his name ranked high among real-time online search keywords. Comments to related online news posts mostly praised Kim's controversial speech. They said his comments were "mind-blowingly quenching," "the best part of the boring award show" and "what he said was 100 percent true."
The SBS award show awarded the grand prize to Yu Jae-seok, who has hosted "Running Man" since 2010.
