There is considerable buzz after the nominations for the 60th 'Baeksang Arts Awards' were revealed on April 8. This was because actress Kim Ji Won, the leading actress in the popular series 'Queen of Tears' has been excluded from the list of nominees despite the immense success of the drama and her popularity.

On April 8, the Baeksang Arts Awards unveiled its official nominee list across various categories, encompassing TV, film, and theater, on its official website.

For this year's Baeksang Arts Awards, the evaluation criteria extended to content aired on terrestrial, cable, OTT, and web platforms from April 1, 2023, up to the end of March 2024. Eligible works must have been broadcast for a minimum of four episodes and series, at least one-third of the total episodes, by the evaluation date. Furthermore, domestically released Korean feature films and theater performances during this timeframe were also considered.

A notable point of contention emerged in the TV category, specifically for the Best Actor award. The male contenders for this accolade include Kim Soo Hyun ('Queen of Tears' on tvN), Nam Goong Min ('My Dearest' on MBC), Ryu Seung Ryong ('Moving' on Disney+), Yoo Yeon Seok ('A Bloody Lucky Day' on Tving), and Lim Si Wan ('Boyhood' on Coupang Play). The Best Actress category featured Ra Mi Ran ('The Good Bad Mother' on JTBC), Ahn Eun Jin ('My Dearest' on MBC), Uhm Jung Hwa ('Dr. Cha' on JTBC), Lee Ha Nee ('Knight Flower' on MBC), and Im Ji Yeon ('A House with a Yard' on Genie TV).

With the immense popularity of the current hit drama 'Tears of the Queen,' its lead actor, Kim Soo Hyun, secured a nomination, while the lead actress, Kim Ji Won, was notably absent from the list. Given that Kim Ji Won had previously topped the V-OTT drama performer popularity rankings for two consecutive weeks in March, her absence from the nominees' list may come as a disappointment.

Reacting to this news, netizens shared their thoughts and commented, "The nominees are really good but I don't get why she's missing from the nominee's list," "Why is she not on the list? I don't understand," "She's the most popular actress right now? Why is she not nominated?" "She needs to be added to the list," "Probably because she doesn't have a sponsor," "This is so disappointing that she's not nominated on the list," and "She's so popular right now! How can she not be nominated?"

Meanwhile, 'Queen of Tears,' which aired its 10th episode on April 7, recorded the highest viewership rating to date at 19% (based on Nielsen Korea's paid households) and is on the verge of surpassing 20%. It airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM.