Lee Junho's Triple Crown Win: What Fans Are Celebrating
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Lee Junho's Triple Crown Win: What Fans Are Celebrating

Actor Lee Junho dominated the 2025 APAN Star Awards, taking home three major trophies including the fan-voted Popularity Award, Global Star Award, and Best Acting Award for his role in Typhoon Merchant. Fans are losing it over his emotional acceptance speeches and genuine gratitude toward the fanbase.

Lee Junho Sweeps Awards Season with Historic Triple Win

Okay, so this just happened and we need to talk about it because Lee Junho absolutely dominated the 11th APAN Star Awards held on December 29th at Seoul's Dongdaemun Design Plaza. And when we say dominated, we mean the man walked away with THREE major trophies in one night. That's not just a win, that's a statement.

Lee Junho accepting award at 2025 APAN Star Awards

The Popularity Award Victory That Started It All

First up was the male actor Popularity Award, which is basically fan voting at its finest. When Lee Junho took the stage, he got visibly emotional talking about how his fans literally voted for hours nonstop. Like, he wasn't just accepting an award, he was acknowledging the actual effort fans put in. He said something that really resonated with people: "This award only came to me because you all voted so much and so long without rest. I promise to become an actor worthy of receiving this award my whole life." That's the kind of humility that makes fans love someone even more.

Back-to-Back Wins: Global Star Award Comes Next

Before fans even finished celebrating the first win, Lee Junho was back on stage for the Global Star Award. And this is where it got wild because he credited his drama Typhoon Merchant specifically. He basically said his global fans showed up and showed out, and he genuinely appreciated it. For context, Typhoon Merchant (or Typhoon Sangsa) became this massive hit in 2025, and fans were already celebrating his performance, but this award made it official.

The Acting Award That Proved It Wasn't Just Popularity

Here's where things got really meaningful. Lee Junho won the Best Acting Award for Mid-length Drama, specifically for his role as Kang Tae-poong in Typhoon Merchant. This wasn't just fan voting anymore, this was recognition from industry professionals who actually judged his craft. During his speech, he got super real about what playing this character meant to him personally. He talked about how playing Tae-poong made him reflect on his own family and appreciate them more, which honestly gave everyone the feels.

What Made This Triple Crown Actually Iconic

The reason fans are freaking out about this triple win isn't just because it's rare, it's because Lee Junho handled every single speech with genuine emotion and gratitude. He wasn't just thanking people randomly, he was specifically calling out:

  • Writer Jang Hyun for creating the world of Typhoon Merchant
  • Director Lee Na-jung for her hard work on the drama
  • His family for supporting him through an intense year
  • Every single fan who voted or watched

Like, he even had the sense to promote his upcoming Netflix original Cashero during his speech, mentioning his co-star Lee Chae-min, which shows he's thinking about the whole industry and supporting others too.

Why This Matters Beyond Just Awards

In a year where Lee Junho described 2025 as feeling like a typhoon for everyone, this triple crown feels like validation for fans who've been supporting him through thick and thin. It's not just about him winning, it's about an actor who clearly values his fanbase and shows it through his words and actions. The APAN Star Awards recognized content from every channel, every format, and every platform in Korea, which makes his wins even more significant because the competition was literally everything.

Fans are celebrating not just because their favorite actor won, but because he won in a way that proved it was genuine effort, genuine talent, and genuine appreciation for the people who made it possible. That's the kind of moment that defines a year in K-drama fandom.

Maya Park
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Maya Park

Thoughtful Gen-Z journalist who captures fan emotions with calm reflection. Known for turning feelings into meaningful stories.

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