‘The Intimate Betrayer’ has been recognized once again as a well-made work by winning awards at various ceremonies.
MBC drama ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ (written by Han Ah-young, directed by Song Yeon-hwa, hereafter referred to as ‘The Intimate Betrayer’) is establishing itself as the best drama of 2024 by continuing to receive awards at various institutions' ceremonies.
‘The Intimate Betrayer’ was recently selected as the ‘Best Drama of 2024’ by the Kim Soo-hyun Drama Art Hall, the only drama museum in Korea operated by the Cheongju Cultural Industry Promotion Foundation. The ‘Best Drama of the Year’ award at the Drama Art Hall is a program where a viewer evaluation panel and a group of drama-related experts gather to evaluate dramas aired on terrestrial, comprehensive, and cable channels over the past year based on themes, stories, and more, selecting the ‘Best Drama’ of the year. A total of 75 dramas aired from November 11, 2023, to November 12, 2024, were considered. After intense judging, ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ was selected as the ‘Best Drama of 2024’ in the serial drama category.
One advisory committee member who participated in the judging commented, “The serious pursuit of the essence of humanity seems to indicate the future potential of this writer,” adding, “In an era where normative family structures and human relationships are shaken, it is a good work that sharply delves into the scope and scale of trust between people and further guides ethics.”
The applause for ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ does not stop there. Recently, it also won the grand prize at the ‘Broadcast Works (Content) Awards Ceremony’ hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and organized by the Korea Communications Agency (KCA). The ‘Broadcast Works (Content) Awards Ceremony’ selects creative and high-quality works among the broadcast works (content) supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT throughout the year, with ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ winning the grand prize, while ‘My Harry’ (Studio Him) received the excellence award in the drama category.
‘The Intimate Betrayer’ also shone at the Grime Awards Ceremony organized by the Korean Broadcasting Camera Association. At the ‘2024 Grime Awards Ceremony,’ which selects the works and broadcasters that showed the most outstanding visual beauty and creativity over the year, ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ won the Best Drama Award (Cinematographers Lee Jin-seok, Lee Deok-hoon), Best Director Award (Song Yeon-hwa), and Best Editing Award (Editors Kim Hee-sung, Lee Ji-hye), as well as the Best Actor Award (Han Suk-kyu) and Best Actress Award (Chae Won-bin), sweeping the major categories.
Additionally, in the ‘2024 Series of the Year’ program planned by the film media ‘Cine21,’ which selects dramas, OTT series, and one-act plays aired this year by 25 film critics, journalists, and TV critics, ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ ranked first in the ‘Top 10 Series’ and had Song Yeon-hwa PD selected as ‘Director of the Year,’ Han Suk-kyu in the ‘Best Male Actor’ category, and Chae Won-bin in the ‘Best New Female Actor’ category, showcasing its status as the best drama of the year.
Nam Gung-seong, the EP of MBC Drama Headquarters who planned ‘The Intimate Betrayer,’ stated, “This work took three years to plan. Given its distinct genre characteristics, there were concerns about ratings as a terrestrial broadcaster, but I was confident that it was a necessary story to share with viewers in this era. Fortunately, many viewers have continued to support and cheer for us even after the show ended, and I am grateful for that.” He added, “While ‘The Intimate Betrayer’ was an excellent work, it also holds significance as it raises expectations for the next works of writer Han Ah-young, discovered through the MBC Drama Script Contest, and director Song Yeon-hwa, who showed tenacity and a keen sense of direction. Personally, it was a joy to witness the performance of actor Han Suk-kyu, whose acting spectrum is truly infinite, and it was rewarding to introduce the promising actress Chae Won-bin, who engaged in a tense psychological battle with him, to the home audience.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
