The 2025 KBS Drama Awards will once again break tradition by announcing its Grand Prize winner before the New Year begins, continuing the bold format change introduced last year.
According to an exclusive report by IZE on December 22, the award ceremony scheduled for December 31 will conclude before midnight, with the Grand Prize (Daesang) winner announced ahead of the traditional New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony. While the exact announcement time is still under discussion, it is expected to take place before 11:30 p.m., ensuring the event does not cross into 2026.
This marks the second consecutive year KBS has adopted the unconventional format. In 2024, the KBS Drama Awards announced the Grand Prize before midnight, allowing the ceremony to conclude within the same calendar year. At the time, the late actor Lee Soon Jae received the Daesang, delivering a deeply moving acceptance speech that resonated strongly with viewers.
The format change was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from audiences. Previously, live broadcasts of New Year countdown events often interrupted the awards, disrupting viewer immersion. By separating the awards ceremony from the midnight countdown, viewers were able to fully focus on the KBS Drama Awards, then seamlessly transition to New Year’s special programming afterward.
KBS has confirmed that following the conclusion of the 2025 KBS Drama Awards, a special New Year’s countdown show will be aired, allowing audiences to celebrate the arrival of the new year without overlap.
The 2025 KBS Drama Awards will air live starting at 7:10 p.m. on December 31, honoring performances across KBS’s drama lineup, including miniseries, weekend dramas, daily dramas, and short-form specials.
This year’s eligible KBS dramas include Miss Granny, Kick Kick Kick Kick, Villains Everywhere, Pump Up the Healthy Love, The First Night With the Duke, My Girlfriend is the Man, Cinderella Game, Good Luck!, A Graceful Liar, Marie and Her Three Daddies, Queen’s House, For Eagle Brothers, Our Golden Days, Twelve, Walking On Thin Ice, Last Summer, and Love: Track.
With strong contenders across multiple genres, anticipation is growing over which actor or project will take home the Daesang, along with major awards such as Best Actor and Best Writer.
The ceremony will be hosted by Jang Sung Kyu, Nam Ji Hyun, and Moon Sang Min.
Sources: IZE,KBS
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