Beloved “When Life Gives You Tangerines” Actor Gives The Most Viral Speech At The “61st Baeksang Awards”
On May 5, 2025 (KST), the prestigious Baeksang Awards celebrated another year of captivating Korean entertainment across theater, TV, and the big screen.
That evening, actor Choi Dae Hoon took home the “Best Supporting Actor” award for the broadcast category for his role of Boo Sang Gil in Netflix‘s When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Boo Sang Gil, now best known as “Mr. Hagssi Ahjussi” for the way he yelled “Hagssi!” (translated into “How dare you!” in the US version), received a tremendous amount of love for being the most annoying-but-un-hateable character in the show. A compilation of his “Hagssi!” moments eventually birthed a viral “Hagssi” song that went mega-viral, too.
Accepting his award, Choi Dae Hoon expressed absolute bamboozlement at the fact that he won. His cheeky personality beamed as he thanked the Baeksang Awards for giving him the best Children’s Day gift ever…
Wow… This honestly feels like a prank. To the Baeksang organizers who prepared such a precious and honorable award, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Out of all the Children’s Day gifts I’ve ever received, this might be the best one yet.
I don’t think I’ve ever received many awards in my life… so to receive this now, I’m beyond grateful. Wow, I’m really shaking.
To the folks at WLGYT who first reached out, director Kim Won Seok and writer Lim Sang Choon… When I first got the call from them, it was thrilling. But at the same time, I worried: “Will I be able to pull this off?” “What if I become a burden to the project?” The happiness I felt when I got the role, though… I’ll never forget this journey.
I started acting because I loved seeing people happy, laughing, enjoying themselves… Oh, this light keeps blinking. Do I need to hurry?!
— Choi Dae Hoon
…but it was how he ended the funny-yet-emotional speech that really went viral.
Seeing people enjoy what I do is why I started, but along the way, I ended up being the one comforted and fulfilled. That’s probably why I keep tearing up. To be able to receive that comfort… it’s such an honor. Going forward, I’ll do my best to live as someone who brings comfort to others, too.
Rather than worry about whether people like me or not, I’ll focus on fulfilling my responsibility every time I take on a role. I’ll strive to be an actor who brings
positive and joyful influence. And I’ll live with a heart full of gratitude. I know I’m talking a lot…
but please bear with me. I don’t know when I’ll ever be up here again.To Director Han Myeong Hoon, who gave me my first chance in this industry, thank you for letting me take that first step. To director Kim Won Seok and writer Lim Sang Choon, as well as everyone over the last 20+ years who trusted me with roles, thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart. I’ll call you all personally to say it again later. To vice president Lim Jung Eun, I used to think I was just an average stone, but you hypnotized me into believing I was a gem. Let’s keep working together and polishing, and see whether I really am a gem or not. I hope we’ll find out over the years to come.
Lastly, to my family watching at home, I love you all so, so much. To all my family in the U.S. as well, I love you forever. And to my wife… You put your life in my hands and believed in me. I hope this makes a good 10th anniversary gift. And to our daughter, Ji Yeon, I love you so much. I’ll keep working hard!
— Choi Dae Hoon
Wrapping up, he channeled his inner Mr. Hagssi one last time and encouraged the viewers to be unapologetic when things get hard.
힘들고 각박한 세상 속에 힘들고 지칠 때마다 한 번씩 거기 보고 외치세요 “학씨!!!!”
최대훈 수상소감 임팩트 미침ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ pic.twitter.com/CiVCtwlKzj
— 3 (@3thzone) May 5, 2025
And to everyone out there who’s tired or struggling in this tough, harsh world: Just look that way and shout, ‘HAGSSI!’
— Choi Dae Hoon
The crowd went wild, and so did the viewers watching from home. Some even believed it to be hinting at the political unrest that South Korea is facing after the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol and the recent supreme court rulings involving the next presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung.
- “Hagssi!!!”
- “Wow, that felt so satisfying, like I shouted it myself LOL. He’s built different LOLLLLL.”
- “That vocal projection, though? LOL. If you heard that next to you, you’d probably jump.”
- “Wow, the OG.”
- “That vocal power, though! I knew he would do well.”
- “Hagssi!”
- “I love Choi Dae Hoon.”
- “Hagssi!!! Even though the speech was long, every word felt sincere. It was so good. Wishing him even more success!”
- “Hagssi!”
- “Hagssi!!!
- “He’s so loud, LOL.”
- “This goes out to Seocho-dong*… HAGSSI!”
*The South Korean Supreme Court is in Seocho-dong
Watch his full speech here:
