The Korea Drama Awards, the main event of the Korea Drama Festival 2025, have announced their nominees for their 16th edition. This year brings stellar performances and unforgettable stories to K-drama lovers worldwide. The voting period for the main awards has begun. Let’s have a look at the complete list of nominees for the 16th Korea Drama Awards in 2025 here!
Korea Drama Festival 2025: 16th Korea Drama Awards Nominees

Nominees and Voting Details
On August 28, the Korea Drama Festival Organizing Committee announced the voting period for this year’s favorite stars and shows. You can cast your votes on the fandom apps “Celeb Champ” and “My1Pick” from August 28 until 11:59 PM (KST) on September 22. The fan votes make up 10% of the final decision, while the remaining 90% comes from evaluations by a panel of judges and the organizing committee.
There are 92 dramas, along with their talented stars and dedicated production teams, that received nominations. These shows aired over the past year across major TV networks, cable channels, and popular streaming platforms.
The main awards cover seven exciting categories. These include Best New Actor/Actress, Best Drama, Excellence Award, and the highly anticipated Best Actor/Actress.
tvN’s latest medical drama “Resident Playbook” earned the most nominations in five categories. These include Best Drama, Best New Actress (Shin Si-ah), Best New Actor (Kang Yoo-seok), Excellence Award – Actor (Jung Joon-won), and Excellence Award – Actress (Go Youn-jung).
Full List of Nominees
Best Actress
- Park Bo-young for tvN’s “Our Unwritten Seoul”
- Lee Se-young for MBC’s “Motel California” and COUPANG TV’s “What Comes After Love”
- Lee Ji-eun (IU) for Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines”
- Lim Ji-yeon for JTBC’s “The Story of Lady Ok”
- Chae Soo-bin for MBC’s “When the Phone Rings”
- Han Ji-min for JTBC’s “Heavenly Ever After” and SBS’s “Love Scout”
Best Actor
- Kang Ha-neul for Netflix’s “Squid Game Season 2”
- Park Bo-gum for Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines”
- Park Hyung-sik for SBS’s “Buried Hearts”
- Yook Sung-jae for SBS’s “The Haunted Palace”
- Ahn Jae-wook for KBS2’s “For Eagle Brothers!”
- Yoo Yeon-seok for MBC’s “When the Phone Rings”
Excellence Award – Actor
- Park Jin-young for Channel A’s “The Witch,” tvN’s “Our Unwritten Seoul”
- Lee Jun-young for Netflix’s “Melo Movie,” tvN’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” Netflix’s “Weak Hero Class 2,” KBS2’s “Pump Up the Healthy Club”
- Lee Hyun-wook for TVING’s “Shark: The Storm,” tvN & TVING’s “The Queen Who Crowns”
- Park Ji-hoon for Netflix’s “Weak Hero Class 2”
- Jung Joon-won for tvN’s “Resident Playbook”
- Choi Woo-shik for Netflix’s “Melo Movie”
Excellence Award – Actress
- Kim So-hyun for JTBC’s “Good Boy”
- Kim Ji-yeon for SBS’s “The Haunted Palace”
- Go Youn-jung for tvN’s “Resident Playbook”
- Lee Hye-ri for “Friendly Rivalry”
- Cha Joo-young for “The Queen Who Crowns”
- Han Ji-eun for tvN’s “When the Stars Gossip,” TVING’s “Study Group”
New Actress
- Kim Eun-bi for SBS’s “Our Movie”
- Roh Jeong-eui for Channel A’s “The Witch” and MBC’s “Crushlogy 101”
- Shin Si-ah for tvN’s “Resident Playbook”
- Chung Su-bin for U+tv’s “Friendly Rivalry”
- Chae Won-bin for MBC’s “Doubt”
- Hong Hwa-yeon for SBS’s “Buried Hearts,” ENA & Genie TV’s “Tastefully Yours,” and TVING’s “I Am a Running Mate”
New Actor
- Kang Yoo-seok for Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” tvN’s “Resident Playbook,” and tvN’s “Law and the City”
- Kim Min-kyu for Netflix’s “Cheongdam International High School 2”
- Ryeoun for ENA’s “Namib”
- Bae Na-ra for Netflix’s “Weak Hero Class 2”
- Choo Young-woo for tvN’s “Head Over Heels” and JTBC’s “The Tale of Lady Ok”
- Heo Nam-jun for MBC’s “When the Phone Rings” and tvN’s “When the Stars Gossip”
Best Drama
- JTBC’s “Good Boy”
- SBS’s “The Haunted Palace”
- SBS’s “Love Scout”
- ENA’s “Tastefully Yours”
- tvN’s “Our Unwritten Seoul”
- SBS’s “Buried Hearts”
- MBC’s “Doubt”
- tvN’s “Resident Playbook”
- SBS’s “Our Movie”
- Netflix’s “When Life Gives You Tangerines”
- JTBC’s “The Tale of Lady Ok”
- MBC’s “When the Phone Rings”,
Most Popular Couple
- Lee Hyeri x Chung Su-bin in “Friendly Rivalry”
- Yoo Yeon-seok x Chae Soo-bin in “When the Phone Rings”
- Choo Young-woo x Cho Yi-hyun in “Head Over Heels”
- Jung Hae-in x Jung So-min in “Love Next Door”
- Lee Jun-hyuk x Han Ji-min in “Love Scout”
- Ju Ji-hoon x Jung Yu-mi in “Love Your Enemy”
- Park Jinyoung x Park Bo-young in “Our Unwritten Seoul”
- Lee Jae-wook x Cho Bo-ah in “Dear Hongrang”
- Park Bo-gum x Kim So-hyun in “Good Boy”
- Kentaro Sakaguchi x Lee Se-young in “What Comes After Love”
The Grand Celebration: Korea Drama Festival 2025
The Korea Drama Awards is a highlight of the “2025 Korea Drama Festival.” This major event celebrates Korean television dramas. It takes place from October 10 to 19 in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do.
The festival offers much more than just awards! You can look forward to a Drama Storytelling Forum, a K-Drama History Exhibition, a Script Program, and a lively Music Festa. It’s a true feast for all K-drama enthusiasts.
This year’s Korea Drama Awards created high excitement for their nominations. So many incredible actors and dramas are in the running! Which stars and dramas do you think deserve to win this year? Let us know in the comments below.
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