Despite the 4-hour long event, K-pop fandom who watched the 1st D Awards on-site and on TV unanimously commented that it felt like it was ‘ssal’ (deleted in an instant), as they say these days. It was a moment that instantly shattered the prejudice that award ceremonies have become ‘boring’.

The ‘4-hourssalmagic’ implemented by the 1st D Awards was completed under the direction of this person. He is the general director of the Awards, Yoo Won-sang, who had been recognized for his outstanding directing skills at influential award ceremonies such as the Golden Disc Awards and Genie Music Awards prior to the 1st D Awards.

Director Yoo is a veteran director who has planned and produced large-scale performances both domestically and internationally through his producing group WSM, which he heads, after having directed music shows commonly referred to as ‘music shows’. It has already been 30 years since he guarded the ‘stage’, the point of contact between artists and fandoms. In that sense, he can be said to be a ‘veteran fighter’, who has struggled on the front lines of broadcasting and performances for K-pop to establish itself as a genre.

Through The Awards, Director Yoo cited the ‘speed of development’, an effort to synchronize with the artist on stage and the camera capturing them in the frame, which can also be interpreted as ‘oneness’. The relentless tracking of the singers‘ subtle expressions and even the movements of their fingertips was captured by dozens of cameras surrounding them, and was realized as the ‘art of cut’, which connects the segmentation of scenes into one large flow. In this regard, the broadcasting industry sometimes uses the expression ‘curt feet’ to measure the skill of a show director.

Before showing off his near-divine skills, he said that the ‘sincere’ practice videos of the artists participating in The Awards were the driving force that “allowed us to “implement the planned direction by almost 100%”.

Regarding the practice videos that often appear in the artists’ self-content, also called ‘self-con’, Director Yoo said, “Although they were dressed comfortably like training suits, almost all of the participating artists sent in performance videos that were reminiscent of ‘real’.”Even though I‘ve watched countless practice videos, this was the first time I felt this way. The ‘passion’ of the artists who filled the stage of The Awards was decisive,”which made it possible for me to stay up all night worrying about the stage direction.


The number of people mobilized to direct the first The Awards, including Director Yoo Won-sang, is estimated to be over 200. Director Yoo estimated that “there were close to 800 people, including artists, presenters, and main hosts, who worked together to create the Awards stage,” and defined the awards ceremony as “the culmination of ‘total collective art.”

“I wanted to add one more thing to the identity of The Awards, which is ‘Dreams’ and ‘Delights.’ I wanted to show the precious jewels that lead today’s K-content, the ‘Diamonds,’ in the most brilliant light. I think that’s what made it ‘telepathic.’”


Reporter Heo Min-nyeong mignon@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.