Soul Drama Awards 2026 announced winners across 46 countries, with top honors for Norway’s A Better Man and multiple wins for Korean dramas.
September/24/2026 10:55
The winners and winning works of the global drama festival “Seoul Drama Awards 2026,” which received a record-high 352 entries from 46 countries and regions around the world, were announced. After fierce competition, a total of 10 works were selected for the work awards and 16 people for the individual awards in the three categories of the International Competition Division, the K-Drama Division, and the International Invitation Division. For the “Asia Star Award” in the International Invitation Division, which is chosen by a global vote by fans around the world, Jaemin (NCT / “Wind Up”) and Jisoo (BLACKPINK / “Monthly Boyfriend”) from Korea were selected, and in addition, Jin Akanishi (“Romantic Anonymous”), Yang Yang of China (“The Immortal Ascension”), Paulo Avelino of the Philippines (“The Alibi”), Rebecca Patricia Armstrong of Thailand (“Her Name Is Nanno: Reset”), and Gladys Bay of Singapore (“Under the Net”) were selected, proving their global popularity with 7 people from 6 countries. The work awards in the K-Drama Division were jointly won by SLL’s “The Story of Kim Bu-jang Commuting from His House in Seoul to a Large Company” and “Everyone Is Fighting Their Worthless Self.” Ku Kyo-hwan, who excellently played the protagonist wavering between success and inferiority complex in “Everyone Is Fighting Their Worthless Self,” won the Best Actor Award, and Lim Ji-yeon, who fully expressed a complex character in the fantasy romantic comedy “Wonderful New World,” which drew worldwide attention on Netflix, won the Best Actress Award, respectively. In addition, Anton of RIIZE, who sang “Close to Me” from “Yumi’s Cells” Season 3, was selected for the OST (insert song) Award, which is chosen by a global fan vote. For him, who has also shown interest in music production such as composing, his first solo OST since debut became a meaningful achievement that led to the award. This year’s grand prize winner in all categories was the Norwegian work “A Better Man.” In addition to the grand prize, it also won the screenplay award and Best Actor Award in the International Competition Division, achieving a triple crown. It sharply depicted contemporary social issues such as online hate and gender conflict, and was praised by the judges as “a flawless grand-prize work for all categories.” In addition, the Korean work “The Story of Kim Bu-jang Commuting from His House in Seoul to a Large Company” also achieved a triple crown, winning the International Competition Division’s mini-series work award, the K-Drama Division’s work award, and the International Competition Division’s Best Actor Award for lead actor Ryu Seung-ryong. Ryu Seung-ryong’s acting ability, as he competed with world-class actors such as Gary Oldman and Hiroki Hasegawa, and the message of the work were highly evaluated on the international stage. The International Competition Division’s directing award and mini-series work award were won by Apple TV+’s “Pluribus: The Age of Happiness,” led by Vince Gilligan, known for “Breaking Bad.” In addition, for the feature-length work award, the Taiwanese hit “If I Hadn’t Seen the Sun,” created by the production team of “Someday or One Day,” and the Greek black comedy “The Child” were selected, and diverse works from countries around the world won honors. The 21st Seoul Drama Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 8, at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul. Prior to the ceremony, a red carpet with domestic and international winners and presenters will also be held, and the ceremony will be broadcast live on MBC from 4:55 p.m. on the same day. ・Kim Nam-gil selected as MC for “Seoul Drama Awards 2026”! ・[PHOTO] Kentaro Sakaguchi, IU, and Ju Ji-hoon attend the “Seoul Drama Awards 2025” ceremony
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