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Surprise winner for best picture

Director Kim Ki-duk's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring", a quiet meditation on a Buddhist monk's quest for truth, was named the best picture of the year at the Blue Dragon Film Awards on Thursday.

The result defied widespread predictions that either "Memories of Murder" or "Oldboy" would take the prize and marked Kim's growing acceptance into the mainstream after years on the fringes of Korean cinema.

"Oldboy" earned Park Chan-wook the best director award while Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jung grabbed the best actor and best supporting actress awards, respectively, for their roles in the mystery thriller. The best actress award went to Jang Jin-young for her performance in "Singles", and Baek Yoon-sik of "Save the Green Planet" collected the best supporting actor award.

Two newcomers were also crowned in the acting category with Bae Yong-joon winning the best new actor award for his portrayal of a Joseon Dynasty Casanova in "Untold Scandal" and Lim Su-jeong snatching the best new actress award for her depiction of a big sister with multiple-personality disorder in "A Tale of Two Sisters".

"Memories of Murder", which had been a popular choice at other film award ceremonies, was largely shut out, picking up just the best cinematography award and the box office award for attracting 5.3 million viewers, the most of any film this year.

The Blue Dragon Film Awards were launched by the Chosun Ilbo in 1963 and has grown to become one of the more prestigious film award ceremonies in Korea.

By Kim Jin

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