Lee Byung-hun chosen as ‘actor of 2012’ in poll

South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun was selected as the best actor of 2012 in an annual poll released Wednesday.

Lee received the most support with 37.6 percent of the 1,700 people aged 13 and older who were polled in a Gallup Korea survey conducted last month, the Seoul-based pollster said.

Lee also won the best actor honor at the 49th Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Awards for his title role in the Korean costume drama “Gwanghae: the Man Who Became King” that has sold 12 million tickets to become the third most-viewed Korean film of all time.

He rose to stardom in other Asian countries for his roles in local TV series “Beautiful Days” (2001), “All In” (2003) and “Iris” (2009). The 42-year-old also starred in the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster “G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra.”

“Lee received the most support from all age groups, except for teenage females,” Gallup Korea said in a press release. “Support rates were especially high among men in their 20s with 53.3 percent and women in their 30s with 49 percent.”

The box-office hit about King Gwanghae, the 15th ruler of Korea’s last kingdom, the Joseon kingdom (1392-1910), swept 15 awards, including best picture and best actor, in the South Korean “Oscars” for this year.

Song Joong-ki was No. 2 in the poll with 15 percent of the vote for his role in the Korean melodrama “A Werewolf Boy” that has drawn 7 million viewers. Actress Kim Hye-soo of the box-office draw “The Thieves” and actor Jang Dong-gun of the Chinese film “Dangerous Liaison” took the third and fourth posts, garnering 7.6 percent and 7.4 percent support. (Yonhap News)