Industry

Leading stars and creators from Korea and around the world will gather in Seoul this week for the Seoul International Drama Awards 2026, with the ceremony set to bring together major names from the international drama industry. The event will take place at KBS Hall on October 8, hosted by actor and official SDA ambassador Nam-gil Kim and MBC announcer Jae-eun Lee. Among the attendees will be screenwriter Eun-sook Kim, recipient of the Golden Bird Prize, the highest honor at the Seoul International Drama Awards.  The ceremony will also bring together the team behind Norway’s A Better Man, which won three International Competition honors: the Grand Prize, Best Screenwriter and Best Actor. Producer Synnøve Hørsdal, cinematographer Daniel Voldheim, Best Screenwriter winner Thomas Seeberg Torjussen and Best Actor winner Anders Baasmo will attend. Other international guests include Taiwanese producer Phoebe Ma, known for Someday or One Day, and Elizaveta Maximová, winner of Best Actress in the International Competition for the Czech TV movie Mom.

Korean winners attending include Seung-ryong Ryu, who won Best Actor in the International Competition for The Dream Life of Mr. Kim; Ji-yeon Lim, winner of Outstanding Korean Actress for My Royal Nemesis; and Kyo-hwan Koo, winner of Outstanding Korean Actor for We Are All Trying Here. RIIZE’s ANTON, who received Outstanding Korean Drama OST for Close to Me from Yumi’s Cells 3, will also be present. The ceremony will also welcome Asian stars including Japan’s Jin Akanishi, recipient of the Outstanding Asian Star award for Romantic Anonymous; Philippine actor Paulo Avelino for The Alibi; and Singapore’s Gladys Bay for Under The Net. Japanese actress Asuka Hamaru, a Best Actress nominee in the International Competition, will also attend, alongside director Azumi Hasegawa and producer Naomichi Sawamura from emole Inc.

Eun-ji Jeong, Ki-joon Um, Go-eun Han, Yuleum Lee, Kyung-hye Park, Jae-won Lee, Swings, Min Kim, Ji-sung Yoon, Hyo-ju Choi and Dong-ha Lee will join the ceremony as award presenters. The Grand Prize in the International Competition will be presented by jury representative Joke Silva, while the Golden Bird Prize will be presented by Sung-joo Lee, Chairman of the Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee and President of the Korean Broadcasters Association.
The SDA 2026 Awards Ceremony will take place at KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 8, preceded by a red carpet featuring winners and presenters. The ceremony will air live on MBC and stream on the official Seoul International Drama Awards YouTube channel from 4:55 p.m. KST. The event will continue with Drama Festa on October 9 and 10 at Banpo Hangang Park and Seokchon West Lake (Songpa Naru Park), with programs for the public and drama fans from around the world.