Ryu Seung-ryong Wins Three Awards for ‘A Better Man’… Seoul International Drama Awards Wrap-up

The winners and works of the 'Seoul International Drama Awards 2026', which saw a record-breaking 352 entries from 46 countries and regions, have been announced. After fierce competition, a total of 10 Best Drama awards and 16 individual winners were named across three categories: International Competition, K-Drama, and International Invitation.

Grand Prize ‘A Better Man’, Three Wins Following CANNESERIES

The Norwegian work ‘A Better Man’ swept three awards, winning the Grand Prize in the International Competition category, along with Best Writer (Thomas Seeberg Torjussen) and Best Actor (Anders Baasmo). ‘A Better Man’ tells the story of a middle-aged man, Tom (played by Anders Baasmo), who engaged in misogyny and malicious comments online, but after his identity and actions are exposed to the world, he lives in hiding disguised as a woman, forming relationships and undergoing change. Instead of simply punishing the perpetrator of hate or leading them to a linear redemption, the work sharply explores contemporary social issues such as online hate and gender conflict through the process of moving from hatred and isolation toward understanding and reconciliation.

Following its three wins at CANNESERIES 2025, including Best Series and Best Performance, ‘A Better Man’ has once again proven its international quality and acting prowess by winning three awards at the Seoul International Drama Awards. The jury highly praised ‘A Better Man’, stating, “It boasts the absolute highest level in almost every layer, including screenplay, directing, and acting,” and adding, “It is perfectly worthy of the Grand Prize in all categories.”

Ryu Seung-ryong’s ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’ also achieved three wins. In addition to winning Best Miniseries in International Competition and Best Drama in the K-Drama category, lead actor Ryu Seung-ryong took home the Best Actor in International Competition award, achieving a feat where both the work's quality and the actor's performance were recognized on the international stage.

The work depicts the process of Kim Nak-su (played by Ryu Seung-ryong), a middle-aged office worker who has been with a large corporation for 25 years, as he seeks to rediscover his life and identity after his familiar life is shaken by restructuring and generational shifts. Starting from the highly Korean setting of a 'manager at a large corporation,' it realistically portrays the anxiety and dignity of a middle-aged worker and the relationship between individuals and organizations, gaining empathy not only from domestic viewers but also from judges of various nationalities.

Leading the work, Ryu Seung-ryong won the Best Actor in International Competition award after competing against formidable actors, including Charles Melton, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards this year, as well as Gary Oldman and Hiroki Hasegawa. The jury evaluated, “Veteran actor Ryu Seung-ryong delivers a realistic performance of the character Mr. Kim, who is full of confidence yet even submissive when necessary,” and noted, “Watching that character and his performance, which is sometimes stubborn, is not a light experience.”

K-Drama category, SLL sweeps Best Drama awards… Individual awards for Koo Kyo-hwan, Lim Ji-yeon, and ANTON

In the K-Drama category, the Best Drama awards were taken by SLL's ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’ and ‘We Are All Trying Here’. ‘We Are All Trying Here’ is a work that poses questions about success and failure, inferiority, and human value through Hwang Dong-man (played by Koo Kyo-hwan), a film director who has failed to achieve his dream of debuting for 20 years among successful filmmakers. Koo Kyo-hwan, who played Hwang Dong-man, became the winner of the Best Actor in K-Drama category by convincingly completing the character with the acting depth he has built across films and dramas such as ‘D.P.’ and ‘Once We Were Us’, along with his unique individuality.

The Best Actress award went to Lim Ji-yeon for Studio S's ‘My Royal Nemesis’. ‘My Royal Nemesis’ is a fantasy romantic comedy about a woman recorded as a 'villainess' in the Joseon Dynasty who wakes up in the body of a modern-day unknown actress and rewrites her destiny, garnering attention both domestically and internationally by reaching number one in the Netflix Global Non-English TV category during its first week of release.

Lim Ji-yeon, who drew attention for her intense villainous acting in ‘The Glory’, once again demonstrated her presence by completing a complex character that is difficult to simply define as good or evil through her wide range of acting. In particular, following ‘My Royal Nemesis’ winning the Best Miniseries in International Competition, Lim Ji-yeon also took the Best Actress in K-Drama award, allowing both the work and the actor to share the glory of winning in two categories.

Meanwhile, the OST award, selected by global fans' votes, went to ANTON of RIIZE, who sang ‘Close to Me’ for ‘Yumi's Cells Season 3’. ANTON, who has shown consistent interest in music production and composition, achieved a meaningful milestone as his first solo OST since debut resulted in an award.

From ‘Breaking Bad’'s Vince Gilligan to the production team of ‘Someday or One Day’… World-class creators shine in the International Competition category

The Best Director award in the International Competition category went to Vince Gilligan and Gordon Smith for Apple TV's ‘Pluribus’, competing against formidable candidates.

‘Pluribus’ is a new work presented by Vince Gilligan, whose ‘Breaking Bad’ received acclaim from viewers and critics, winning a total of 16 Emmy Awards over five seasons. It is a sci-fi drama with the paradoxical setting that the unhappiest woman in the world must save humanity from 'happiness'. It has received international recognition, with lead Rhea Seehorn winning the Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, and Vince Gilligan winning the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the episode ‘We Is Us’. At the Seoul International Drama Awards, it received high praise for both its work and direction, winning both the Best Director award and the Best Miniseries in International Competition.

The jury evaluated, “The imagination regarding the situation where the unhappiest woman in the world must face happiness to save the world is attractive, and the awareness of the issue regarding human empathy is also excellent.” ‘Pluribus’, which flips the familiar value of ‘happiness’ into something unfamiliar, announced the birth of a new masterpiece, once again proving the genre-specific imagination and directing skills unique to Vince Gilligan.

The Best Feature Film in the International Competition category went to Taiwan's hit ‘Had I Not Seen the Sun’, which involved the production team of ‘Someday or One Day’. A mystery romance that begins with the meeting of a serial killer and a documentary production assistant interviewing him, it received praise from the jury as “a work that chillingly delves into the tragic trauma and memories of first love hidden behind the serial killer through a unique frame structure called ‘interview’.”

Another Best Feature Film award was claimed by Greece's ‘The Child’. A black comedy about a young man with autism spectrum disorder and his caregiver who hide in a remote village to escape threats, it depicts the process of the two characters relying on each other to survive and the meaning of salvation.

The Best One-Act Drama award went to Germany's ‘Disclosure’. Based on an unsolved murder case of a female police officer that occurred in Germany in 2007, the jury evaluated it as “intense and powerful, to the point where I even thought of the story after waking up in the middle of the night.”

In the short-form category, which revived after 5 years since 2021 and saw 49 entries from 10 countries across 3 continents, ‘Unfiltered’ won the Best Work award. As the winner of the Best Screenplay at the 2025 South International Series Festival, it dealt with identity confusion, relationships, and the dangers of the digital environment experienced by teenagers online.

Meanwhile, the Best Actress in the International Competition category went to Elizaveta Maximová for the Czech one-act drama ‘Mom’. She received critical acclaim for her delicate portrayal of Liliana, a young mother with intellectual disabilities, expressing her childhood trauma, anxiety, and the desperate desire to be with her daughter again.

The Asia Star awards in the International Invitation category, selected through global fan voting, included 7 people from 6 countries, including JAEMIN (NCT · ‘Wind Up’) and JISOO (‘Boyfriend on Demand’) from Korea, Yang Yang from China, Jin Akanishi from Japan, Paulo Avelino from the Philippines, Rebecca Patricia Armstrong from Thailand, and Gladys Bay from Singapore.

The 21st Seoul International Drama Awards ceremony, held with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seoul Metropolitan Government, KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS, and CBS, will be held on Thursday, October 8, at the KBS Hall in Yeouido. Prior to the ceremony, a red carpet featuring domestic and international winners and presenters will take place, and the ceremony will be broadcast live from 4:55 PM through MBC and the official Seoul International Drama Awards YouTube channel. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Korean dramas this year, a preliminary event will be held at COEX Magok on October 6, followed by ‘Drama Festa’ from the 9th to the 10th around Banpo Hangang Park and Seokchon Lake West Lake , where citizens can enjoy drama talk concerts, OST concerts, and drama experience zones.

The following is the full list of winners for the Seoul International Drama Awards 2026.

To be released separately on September 29

- Grand Prize: ‘A Better Man’ (Norway, Maipo Film · Beta Film)

- One-Act Drama: ‘Disclosure’ (Germany, W&B Television GmbH)

- Miniseries: ‘My Royal Nemesis’ (South Korea, Studio S Co., Ltd.) / ‘Pluribus’ (USA, Apple TV) / ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’ (South Korea, SLL)

- Feature Film: ‘Had I Not Seen the Sun’ (Taiwan, Netflix · Gala Television Corporation · Make A Deal International Production Co., Ltd.) / ‘The Child’ (Greece, ERT S.A. HELLENIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION)

- Short-form: ‘Unfiltered’ (Spain, Vértigo Films)

- Directing Award: Vince Gilligan, Gordon Smith. ‘Pluribus’

- Writing Award: Thomas Seeberg Torjussen. ‘A Better Man’

- Best Actor: Anders Baasmo. ‘A Better Man’ / Ryu Seung-ryong. ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’

- Best Actress: Elizaveta Maximová. ‘Mom’

- SLL ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’

- SLL ‘We Are All Trying Here’

- Best Actor: Koo Kyo-hwan. ‘We Are All Trying Here’

- Best Actress: Lim Ji-yeon. ‘My Royal Nemesis’

- OST Award: RIIZE ANTON. ‘Yumi's Cells Season 3’

- JAEMIN. ‘Wind Up’ (South Korea)

- JISOO. ‘Boyfriend on Demand’ (South Korea)

- Yang Yang. ‘The Immortal Ascension’ (China)

- Jin Akanishi. ‘Romantics Anonymous’ (Japan)

- Paulo Avelino. ‘The Alibi’ (Philippines)

- Rebecca Patricia Armstrong. ‘Girl from Nowhere: Reset’ (Thailand)

- Gladys Bay. ‘Under the Net’ (Singapore)

Introduction to Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee

The Seoul International Drama Awards is an international drama awards ceremony hosted by the Korean Broadcasters Association and the Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee.

Seoul International Drama Awards 2026 Winners (Works) List.pdf

◆ At a Glance

· Issuing Organization: Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee

· Classification: Broadcasting, Entertainer, Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee

· Distribution: September 22, 2026, 10:20 AM

Source: Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee Press Release (Newswire)

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