Seoul Drama Awards celebrates global winners as Ben Stiller, Ju Jihoon, IU and Kim Seon-ho dominate

The Seoul Drama Awards organizing committee (Chairperson Bang Seung-shin) on the 16th announced the winners of the Seoul Drama Awards 2025.

Among a total of 276 entries and 409 entrants submitted from 50 countries, the honors went to seven works and 16 individuals across the international competition, K-drama and international invitation categories. The Seoul Drama Awards' highest honor, the Golden Bird Award, was won by Ben Stiller (Apple TV+ director).

, two-time winner including writer award in addition to the Golden Bird Award

The Apple TV+ original series is a work that depicts the dystopian reality of modern workplace society through the original premise of a "memory separation procedure," and it drew attention with acclaimed Hollywood actor Ben Stiller directing. As a psychological thriller that portrays human inner nature through the separation of the work persona "Euni" and the natural-person persona "Auti," it was recognized worldwide for its excellence, winning eight awards at the 77th Emmy Awards, including acting and technical awards.

The organizing committee said Ben Stiller was selected because his creative and outstanding direction depicted understanding and insight into humanity, aligning most closely with the Seoul Drama Awards' intent to seek ways for humanity to harmonize and move forward. Apple TV+, which had not appeared in domestic awards until now, winning the Golden Bird Award is expected to greatly raise expectations among domestic viewers.

, a triumphant three-time winner including the international competition grand prize

Netflix's swept the international competition grand prize, directing award and male actor award to take three trophies.

This work, which deals with recent serious social issues such as juvenile crime, gender conflict and cyberbullying, received high praise from the jury for "not hiding the anger and confusion of adolescence in this era and for the immersive quality of its one-take filming." The directing award went to Philip Varanthini and the male actor award to Owen Cooper, and the piece was evaluated as an excellent work in every aspect—artistry, acting and direction.

In particular, Owen Cooper, who became the youngest male winner in history at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards held on the 15th, despite his young age of 15, showed outstanding acting in his debut work Netflix and is being recognized worldwide as a next-generation promising actor.

K-drama category also dominated by Netflix, ·Ju Jihoon, ·IU

The K-drama category's best drama awards went to Netflix's and . The male and female actor awards were won by Ju Jihoon and IU, who delivered moving performances in the respective winning works.

is a webtoon-based drama that depicts genius surgeon Baek Kang-hyuk (Ju Jihoon) joining a dysfunctional trauma team and reviving it, and it was praised as a masterpiece that captures immersion, spectacular action and emotional intensity. Thanks to Ju Jihoon's performance, "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" held the No. 1 spot for a long time in Netflix's domestic top 10 series category and also ranked No. 1 in the global non-English TV show category, becoming one of Netflix's all-time biggest hits.

was also selected as a winning work thanks to overwhelming support from domestic and international juries, befitting its status as one of the year's top domestic hits. The series unfolds the adventure-filled lives of a boy and girl born in Jeju Island across four seasons, and it allowed viewers to feel the enduring value of parental love, the tender feelings between couples, and the warmth of neighbors that remain undiminished across changing eras.

The jury in particular left the comment that "the camera's gaze following the inner lives of the two protagonists, Aesun (IU) and Gwansik (Park Bo-gum), is calm and restrained like a watercolor painting, and within that, IU delivered a performance that showed emotional depth beyond simple romance."

Meanwhile, the OST award went to singer Youngtak for "Unknown Life," inserted in KBS 2TV weekend drama , who brought out the song in his own style and added emotional depth to the drama's jewel-like scenes.

Sharing the spotlight were Kim Min-ha and Cate Blanchett

The international competition female actor award was jointly awarded to Cate Blanchett for and Kim Min-ha for . Cate Blanchett is a Hollywood actor beloved domestically through numerous works such as the film and , and she is one of the major actors with dozens of awards and experience as Cannes Film Festival jury president.

Commenting on her performance in , the jury said, "Only Cate Blanchett can overwhelmingly digest such horrific material. Her ability to dominate the screen through emotional expression alone is astonishing."

won two awards at this ceremony, taking the mini-series best drama award and the female actor award for Kim Min-ha. Based on the novel by Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee, Apple TV+'s depicts the generational lives and migration experiences of a family from the Japanese colonial era to the present, and it was praised for balancing the immigrant identity and universal human narrative. The jury also praised actor Kim Min-ha, who plays the role of "Sunja," saying she has "a special talent for conveying a whole range of emotions with a single unadorned look."

They evaluated that she "boasts exceptional acting that combines softness and toughness, boldness and delicacy," awarding her the first best actress award of her acting career.

Master filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda marks his 30th anniversary since debut

Together with Philip Varanthini of , director Hirokazu Kore-eda of won the directing award at the Seoul Drama Awards 2025. Director Kore-eda, a master who has won the Palme d'Or and the Cannes Jury Prize, has a strong fanbase domestically through numerous films such as . The entry received praise from the jury as "an outstanding work that subtly directs each beautiful scene to evoke nostalgia, portraying not only complex relationships within a family but also the 1970s Japanese way of life and the tension of oppressive roles demanded of women."

In particular, Cate Blanchett, who presented Kore-eda with the Palme d'Or, and IU, who took the Cannes stage with , have a special connection to the director, who is called "Cannes' man," and whether their special ties will continue at the Seoul Drama Awards 2025 is drawing attention.

In the international competition, CJ ENM's won the best short drama award. is a story about a self-centered man who, in a virtual reality mission playing a father protecting his son, confronts a shocking truth and experiences paternal love and atonement. The jury commented, "Among the many works, it was the most original and powerful. Solid acting combined to create an impressive piece that also connects with the demands of modern society." In addition, the Asia Star Award, selected by the organizing committee and Idol Champ through global Hallyu fan voting, named seven winners from six countries, including Kim Seon-ho and Jisoo.

The 20th Seoul Drama Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Seoul Metropolitan Government and hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Association and the Seoul Drama Awards organizing committee, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. at KBS Hall, and a red carpet featuring domestic and international winners and presenters will be held just before the ceremony. The awards ceremony will be broadcast worldwide on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. on SBS TV and the official YouTube channel.

The following is the full list of winners of the 20th Seoul Drama Awards 2025.

- Golden Bird Award

Ben Stiller () / Apple TV+ / United States

- International competition

▶ Grand prize

Netflix / United Kingdom