KBS has released the first teaser for the 2025 KBS Drama Awards, but excitement is mixed with concern as the network faces what many viewers are calling a “ratings disaster” this year.

Set to air on December 31, the annual ceremony highlights the year’s mini-series, weekend dramas, daily dramas, and one-act plays produced by KBS. Despite a difficult year, the network promises a star-filled night that brings together the actors who shaped the 2025 drama lineup.

Returning for the third year in a row, broadcaster Jang Sung-kyu will host the show alongside actors Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang-min, the lead stars of the upcoming KBS weekend drama My Beloved Thief premiering January 3.

A Teaser Filled With Stars But Not Ratings

The newly released teaser features a panoramic montage of KBS dramas from the past year. Clips include:

  • For Eagle Brothers starring Uhm Ji-won and Ahn Jae-wook
  • Pump Up the Healthy Love with Lee Jun-young and Jung Eun-ji
  • Walking On Thin Ice starring Lee Young-ae and Kim Young-kwang
  • Twelve led by Ma Dong-seok and Park Hyung-sik
  • The First Night With the Duke starring Seohyun and Ok Taec-yeon
  • Villains Everywhere with Oh Na-ra and So Yoo-jin
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One line from Lee Young-ae in Walking On Thin Ice “The word will spread! People will flock from everywhere!” is highlighted in the teaser as a promise of what the awards show hopes to deliver.

Star Power Couldn’t Save KBS in 2025

Despite releasing more than a dozen dramas, most recorded shockingly low ratings. Aside from a few weekend dramas, nearly all series remained in the single-digit range.

Even projects with heavy hitters struggled:

  • Twelve, starring action icon Ma Dong-seok, opened with 8.1% but plummeted to 2.4% after harsh reviews.
  • Walking On Thin Ice, fronted by top actress Lee Young-ae, averaged only 3%.
  • Last Summer dropped to 1.5%, one of the lowest among KBS mini-series.
  • Pump Up the Healthy Love suffered the worst fate a humiliating 0%-range rating.
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With viewership at record lows, predicting the winner of the Grand Prize (Daesang) has become more difficult than ever.

Despite its disappointing drama lineup, KBS aims to end the year with a glamorous awards ceremony that highlights the network’s biggest talents and most memorable scenes.

Whether the Daesang will go to a veteran like Lee Young-ae or a breakout performance from another major star remains the biggest question as the awards night approaches.

The 2025 KBS Drama Awards airs on December 31.

Sources: Daum