A 10-day celebration at Jinju’s Gyeongsangnam-do Culture and Arts Center and Namgang riverside

The 2025 Korea Drama Festival, organized by the Korea Drama Festival Organizing Committee and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Jinju City, concluded after a 10-day run from October 10 to 19. As Korea’s first-ever drama festival, it has long stood as a flagship event designed to foster the broadcasting and video industries and sustain the growth of Korean drama.

This year’s festival offered domestic and international drama fans a broad array of attractions. Highlights included a Drama Script Experience Photo Zone re-creating popular drama sets and a Drama History Exhibition, both of which drew strong audience engagement. The KDF promotional pavilion showcased artwork by artist Yeon Ji-seong, inspired by the year’s buzzy dramas.

By night, the KDF Music Festa lit up the grounds with busking performances and live drama OST showcases, elevating the festival mood. Jinju’s mascot, Hamo, made appearances throughout the venue, interacting with attendees.

On the festival’s second day, the 16th Korea Drama Awards were held. The Grand Prize (Daesang) went to Ahn Jae-wook. The Best Drama award was given to “Our Movie.” The Best Actor award went to Yook Sung-jae, while the Best Actress award went to Park Bo-young. Excellence in Acting awards were presented to Lee Hyun-uk (male) and Kim Ji-yeon (female). The Merit Award was awarded to Kim Yong-rim. During the ceremony, Hamo personally delivered the honors to the winners, a moment that organizers embraced as a symbol of Jinju and a special gift of the festival.

KDF Organizing Committee Chairman Son Seong-min commented, “With K-dramas drawing global attention, it was meaningful to share the present and future of Korean drama right here in Jinju. We will continue to strive for the industry’s advancement and the global competitiveness of our content.” He also pledged ongoing efforts to strengthen Korea’s drama ecosystem and its international reach.

The event also attracted international guests. A Brazilian delegation from the São Paulo International Cultural Exchange group visited Jinju and remarked, “Jinju is like the heart of Korea’s content culture industry,” expressing deep impressions of the festival.