'2025 SBS Drama Awards' many controversies arose at the 2025 SBS Drama Awards, including indifference to staff and the excessive awarding of joint winners.
On the afternoon of Dec. 31 at SBS Prism Tower, at the '2025 SBS Drama Awards' newcomer awards, supporting actor awards, supporting actor awards, scene-stealer awards, lifetime achievement awards, best teamwork awards, best couple awards, excellence awards, best picture awards and grand prizes were awarded.
The newcomer award segment began with a stream of footage of Kim Dan · Kim Mu-jun · Cha Woomin · Ha Yu-jun. I originally thought it was the usual format of the nominees' performance clips. When no one came out, Shin Dong-yeob said, "These are all winners. Hurry up and come out." All the actors went on stage looking stunned. Everyone tried not to show it, but the fact that four people received the newcomer award was a rare occurrence.
The supporting actor awards were divided into four institutional sector categories: human fantasy, melodrama, romantic comedy and genre action. Shin Seul-gi, who showed her face on a dating variety show and then transitioned to acting, said, "Hello, I'm actor Shin Seul-gi. I was really nervous earlier when I was listed as a newcomer nominee, and I thought I'd just leave after congratulating because I wouldn't win, but thank you so much for giving me the supporting actor award!" she said, sweeping the newcomer and supporting actor awards and showing her potential as an actor. In the end, however, the supporting actor awards went to eight actors.
The scene-stealer award and the best teamwork award created a slightly warm atmosphere. Scene-stealer award winner Yoon Si-yoon said, "I was really grateful just to be invited to such a meaningful work, and as an actor being called a scene-stealer is truly moving," adding, "Especially in this drama there were people who played perpetrators and victims, which made it shine. I want to give this honor to everyone," indicating he had succeeded in creating a villain role after taking care of his body and dedicating himself since last year.
Most of the actors expressed gratitude to the staff, but only Lee Hae-yeong, who won a supporting actor award, attracted attention by mentioning the lighting director and staff members by name one by one. Of course, it's not that the congratulatory performance put on by the actors themselves was not fun, but because the somewhat loose 'reciting actor names, reciting awards' segment was carried out, someone who had not watched the drama would not only fail to understand but also would not be able to immerse themselves. As proof of that, the drama Dynamite Kiss, which set online forums ablaze, boasted a hot voting rate for the best couple award.
However, until nearly the third segment, there were no awards for staff such as writers, producers, directors, lighting directors and art directors. The way the ceremony unfolded, as if acting only requires acting, resembled points criticized at a certain film festival, and because some presenters had not memorized their remarks at all, there were awkward pauses lasting several seconds that even required Shin Dong-yeob's intervention. Aside from Shin Dong-yeob, the audience appeared to cool down, perhaps seeing that live broadcast contingencies were not being handled.
[Photo source] '2025 SBS Drama Awards'
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