The 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards concluded its milestone 20th anniversary celebration Thursday night, with Apple TV's critically acclaimed series 'Severance' and Netflix's British crime drama 'Adolescence' emerging as the evening's biggest winners. The prestigious ceremony, held at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, recognized outstanding achievements in television drama from around the world.
Hosted by the Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee and the Korean Broadcasters Association, this year's ceremony evaluated an impressive 276 submissions from 50 countries across three major categories: International Competition, K-Drama Competition, and International Invitation. The awards notably mirrored many results from the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards held earlier this year.
The night's highest honor, the Golden Bird Prize in the International Competition, was awarded to Ben Stiller for his directing work on 'Severance' Season 2. The Apple TV dystopian workplace thriller, which dominated this year's Emmy nominations and secured eight statuettes on September 14, continued its remarkable winning streak. Accepting the award via video message, Stiller expressed his deep appreciation for Korean cinema and storytelling traditions.
"This is an incredible honor to be recognized by such a prestigious organization, country that has such an incredible history of filmmaking in terms of just making amazing films that have been inspiring to me over the years," Stiller said in his acceptance speech. "Korean filmmakers just lead the way in terms of telling stories that are human, aesthetically intricate and beautiful."
The Grand Prize in the International Competition went to Netflix's United Kingdom crime miniseries 'Adolescence,' which follows the gripping story of a boy accused of murdering a schoolmate. The series, which had previously collected six Emmy Awards, also earned Philip Barantini the Best Director award, sharing the honor with renowned filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda for 'Asura.' Owen Cooper, the star of 'Adolescence,' took home the Best Actor award in the international section.
One of the evening's most anticipated moments came when Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi received the Outstanding Asian Star award. Sakaguchi, who has been involved in a highly publicized dating scandal, had previously canceled scheduled appearances at the Busan International Film Festival due to the controversy. However, he made his first public remarks in Korea at the Seoul Drama Awards, marking a significant moment in his recent career.
"I am grateful to receive such an honorable and prestigious award," Sakaguchi said during his acceptance speech. "Being an actor is, surprisingly, a series of quiet, steady efforts rather than what it may appear on the surface. That's why even now, I am putting my utmost care into each and every project I work on." The Japanese heartthrob, who appeared in the Korean series 'What Comes After Love?', has been steadily building his presence in the Korean entertainment industry.
When ceremony host Ok Taec-yeon playfully asked Sakaguchi about having a good dream the night before about receiving the award, the actor responded with visible emotion: "I was worried about how everyone would receive me, but when I walked the red carpet earlier, you all spoke to me so warmly and that made me very happy."
In the K-Drama Competition, two Netflix productions shared the spotlight for Outstanding Korean Drama. The medical drama 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call' and the period drama 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' both received the prestigious honor, showcasing the diversity and quality of Korean television production.
Ju Ji-hoon claimed the Outstanding Korean Actor award for his compelling lead performance in 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,' while Lee Ji-eun, professionally known as IU, won Outstanding Korean Actress for her dual roles as Ae-soon and Geum-myoung in 'When Life Gives You Tangerines.' The moment was made even more special by a heartfelt presentation ceremony.
In a touching display of continuity and mentorship, Yeom Hye-ran, who portrayed IU's mother in 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' and won the same award the previous year, personally presented the trophy to Lee Ji-eun on stage. This gesture highlighted the close relationships formed during the production and added an emotional dimension to the evening's celebrations.
The ceremony was broadcast live on YouTube, allowing international audiences to participate in the celebration of global television excellence. The event will also air on SBS Friday at 6 p.m. for domestic viewers. To extend the celebration throughout the weekend, organizers have planned several side events that will continue the festival atmosphere.
These additional events include a Drama Talk Concert, an Original Soundtrack concert featuring music from acclaimed series, a Golden Bell Quiz competition, and large-scale public screenings. The festivities will take place at two of Seoul's most popular locations: Banpo Hangang Park and Seokchon West Lake, running Friday and Saturday to give fans multiple opportunities to participate in the 20th anniversary celebration.
