The 16th Korea Drama Awards were held, with major winners including Ahn Jae-wook and Byung Woo-seok. Various categories recognized talent.
October/13/2025 19:07
The winners of the 16th KOREA DRAMA AWARDS have been announced. The KOREA DRAMA FESTIVAL organizing committee held the 16th KOREA DRAMA AWARDS on October 11 at the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do. The 16th KOREA DRAMA AWARDS awarded dramas, actors, and production teams that aired in Korea over the past year, totaling 92 works (data provided by PLEX ON). This year also attracted attention with a glamorous lineup of winners. On this day, awards were given in six popular categories featuring strong candidates. Byung Woo-seok achieved a double win, receiving the 'Hot Star Award' for men and the 'Global Star Award.' The 'Hot Star Award' for women went to Jeong Su-bin, the 'Multi-Tainer Award' to DKZ's Je-chang, the 'Best Couple Award' to Girl's Day's Hyeri and Jeong Su-bin ('Good Intentions'), and the 'Best OST Award' to singer Yong-tak for 'Unknown Life.' The main awards in seven categories of the 16th KOREA DRAMA AWARDS were also announced. The 'Best Work Award' went to SBS's 'Our Movie.' The 'Best Acting Award' for men was awarded to BTOB's Sungjae ('Goblin'), and for women to Park Bo-young ('Unknown Soul'). The 'Excellence in Acting Award' for men went to Lee Hyun-wook ('Shark: The Storm' and 'Queen of Desire'), and for women to Bona of WJSN ('Goblin'). The 'Rookie Award' for men went to Chu Young-woo ('Okja's Lady' and 'Shaman and the Star'), and Ho Nam-jun ('When That Phone Rings' and 'The Stars Are Gossiping'), while for women it went to Jeong Su-bin ('Good Intentions') and Hong Hwa-young ('Buried Heart,' 'Romance in the Secret Ingredient,' and 'Running Mate'). Additionally, awards for 'Lifetime Achievement,' 'Villain Award,' and 'Scene Stealer Award (male/female)' were presented. The 'Lifetime Achievement Award' was given to Kim Young-rim, who debuted in the 4th KBS Voice Drama Group in 1961 and transitioned to acting in 1964, continuing to be active until now. The 'Villain Award' went to Oh Jung-se ('Good Boy'), while the 'Scene Stealer Award' for men was awarded to Lee Hae-young ('Trigger' and 'Buried Heart') and for women to Lee Ho-jung ('Good Boy'). The highly anticipated 'Grand Prize' of the 16th KOREA DRAMA AWARDS was awarded to Ahn Jae-wook after a fierce competition among actors. Ahn Jae-wook showcased the essence of middle-aged romance in 'Please Take Care of My Brothers,' which recorded a peak viewership rating of 21.9% (Nielsen Korea nationwide household standard). The 16th KOREA DRAMA AWARDS is the main event of the '2025 KOREA DRAMA FESTIVAL,' which will take place for ten days until the 19th at the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center and the Namgang riverside area. The '2025 KOREA DRAMA FESTIVAL' is organized by the KOREA DRAMA FESTIVAL organizing committee, with active support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Jinju City in Gyeongsangnam-do. The festival will provide visitors with new experiences through various programs, including a drama script experience photo zone that resembles popular drama sets, a drama history exhibition hall, a KDF promotion zone, and the 'KDF Music Festa.'
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