The 18th Korea Drama Festival to feature Korea Drama Awards, drama sets and fan experiences along Jinju’s Nam River
| Poster of 2025 Korea Drama Festival (Korea Drama Festival Organizing Committee) |
The 2025 Korea Drama Festival, Korea’s first dedicated K-drama festival, returns for a ten-day run this October in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.
Running from Friday to Oct. 19, the festival will take place at the Gyeongnam Culture & Arts Center and various venues along the Nam River.
Now in its 18th edition, the festival was first launched in 2006 by the Korea Drama Festival Organizing Committee with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Jinju City. Over the years, it has become a platform for recognizing the creative and commercial milestones of the Korean drama industry, bringing together industry professionals and fans.
A key highlight of the festival is the 16th Korea Drama Awards, scheduled to take place Saturday at 5 p.m.
The awards will honor excellence across 92 shows aired over the past year across terrestrial broadcasters, cable networks, general programming channels and streaming platforms. Categories include six fan-driven popularity awards — such as the popular couple award and best soundtrack — alongside seven main awards, ending with the announcement of the grand prize. Fan voting for both popularity and main awards has already taken place, with nominees including Lee Jun-young, Park Bo-gum, Ahn Jae-wook, and Lee Ji-eun (IU).
Beyond the awards, the festival features experiential and cultural programming.
Along the Nam River, a drama script experience photo zone will recreate sets from various shows, while the Korean drama history exhibition will offer a comprehensive look at K-drama’s evolution. The KDF Promotion Zone will present an art exhibition, inspired by this year’s most popular dramas, alongside interactive experiences for attendees. Evenings are enriched by the KDF Music Festa, which pairs live busking performances with performances of popular drama soundtracks.
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