Korean musical actor Hong Kwang-ho won a British musical award for his West End debut role, Thuy, in “Miss Saigon.”

Hong was named Best Supporting Actor in a Musical at the 15th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards in a ceremony that took place Sunday, his Korean agency said Monday.

Run by the U.K.’s biggest theater website WhatsOnStage, the annual awards honor musical actors and actresses based on the popular vote of the audience. “Miss Saigon” was the star of the show this year, reaping a record nine awards. 

In January 2014, Hong became the first Korean actor to land a major role in a musical at the celebrated West End, London’s equivalent of Broadway.

Hong’s character Thuy, a challenging musical role that requires a vocal range of three octaves, is a Vietnamese military officer who meets a tragic death after his love for Kim, played by Eva Noblezada, is unrequited. The character will be played by Ethan Le Phong from Jan. 19 until March 16, when Hong will return to the role.

A graduate of theater studies at ChunAang University, Hong made his musical debut in 2002 with “The Last Empress.” He further played The Phantom and Raoul in the Korean production of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Cameron Mackintosh, producer of “Miss Saigon,” lauded the 32-year-old actor as “a wide talent” and “really very special.”

By Rumy Doo (bigbird@heraldcorp.com)