The 2025 APAN Star Awards have dropped their nominees, and your favorite K-dramas and stars are in the running! Ready to see which shows and stars made the cut? Let’s find out together the complete list of nominees and cast your vote for the popular actors at the 2025 APAN Star Awards.
2025 APAN Star Awards: Nominees and Final Vote
Get ready for a night to remember, where stars will gather for the 2025 APAN Star Awards on December 29, 2025!
Presented by the Korea Entertainment Management Association and the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency, this prestigious event will take place at Dongdaemun Design Plaza Art Hall 1 in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The charismatic Kim Seung-woo and Park Sun-young will guide us through an unforgettable night. It will honor dramas that aired from November 2024 to October 2025.
You can catch every moment live from the dazzling red carpet entrances to emotional acceptance speeches right from your VVIP couch at home on tvN and TVING.
K-Drama and Stars That Earned the Most Nominations
This year’s competition is incredibly fierce. But one drama truly stands out, dominating the APAN Star Awards 2025 Nominees list.
“When Life Gives You Tangerines” (Netflix) leads with ten nominations across categories. These nominations include Drama of the Year, Best Director (Kim Won-seok), Best Screenwriter (Lim Sang-choon), Top Excellence Actor (Park Bo-gum), and Top Excellence Actress (IU).
Other highly nominated dramas were tvN and Netflix’s series, “Our Unwritten Seoul” with seven nominations, including Drama of the Year, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Top Excellence Actress (Park Bo Young), and “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” with more than four nominations, including Best Director, Top Excellence Actor (Ju Ji-hoon)
Besides Korean dramas, some actors also received multiple nominations this year. Each of them earned recognition for standout performances in multiple impactful roles. Their nominations prove their incredible versatility and undeniable presence on screen.
Park Bo Gum received two nominations for two hit series, “Good Boy” and “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” Meanwhile, Ju Ji Hoon, who impressed with his roles in “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” and “Love Your Enemy,” earned two nominations for these dramas.
Lee Jun Young was nominated for Excellence Actor for “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and “Pump Up the Healthy Love,” and Choo Young Woo was nominated for Excellence Actor for “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” and “Head over Heels.”
These actors aren’t just playing characters, they’re creating moments that we’ll remember forever.
2025 APAN Star Awards Nominees
Here’s the complete list of nominees at the 2025 APAN Star Awards!
Drama of the Year
- “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” (tvN, Netflix)
- “Our Unwritten Seoul” (tvN, Netflix)
- “The Tale of Lady Ok” (JTBC)
- “When Life Gives You Tangerines” (Netflix)
- “You and Everything Else” (Netflix)
Best Director
- Jang Tae-yoo – “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty”
- Jo Young-min – “You and Everything Else”
- Kim Won-seok – “When Life Gives You Tangerines”
- Lee Do-yoon – “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call”
- Park Shin-woo – “Our Unwritten Seoul”
Best Screenwriter
- Jang Hyun-sook – “Typhoon Family”
- Lee Kang – “Our Unwritten Seoul”
- Lim Sang-choon – “When Life Gives You Tangerines”
- Park Ji-sook – “The Tale of Lady Ok”
- Song Hye-jin – “You and Everything Else”
Male Top Excellence Award (Mid-Length Drama)
- Kim Nam Gil (“The Fiery Priest 2,” “Trigger”)
- Park Bo Gum (“Good Boy,” “When Life Gives You Tangerines”)
- Park Hyung Sik (“Buried Hearts”)
- Lee Junho (“Typhoon Family”)
- Ju Ji Hoon (“The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,” “Love Your Enemy”)
Female Top Excellence Award (Mid-Length Drama)
- Kim Go Eun (“You and Everything Else”)
- Park Bo Young (“Our Unwritten Seoul”)
- IU (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”)
- Lim Yoona (“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty”)
- Cha Joo Young (“The Queen Who Crowns”)
Male Top Excellence Award (Long-Form Drama)
- Son Chang Min (“Good Luck!”)
- Song Chang Eui (“Desperate Mrs. Seonju”)
- Ahn Jae Wook (“For Eagle Brothers”)
- Jung Il Woo (“Our Golden Days”)
- Hwang Dong Joo (“Marie and Her Three Daddies”)
Female Top Excellence Award (Long-Form Drama)
- Park Ha Na (“My Merry Marriage”)
- Uhm Ji Won (“For Eagle Brothers”)
- Jang Shin Young (“The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun”)
- Han Groo (“Cinderella Game”)
- Hahm Eun Jung (“Queen’s House”)
Male Excellence Award (Mid-Length Drama)
- Park Hae Joon (“When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “Love, Take Two”)
- Yoo Yeon Seok (“When the Phone Rings”)
- Lee Jun Young (“When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “Pump Up the Healthy Love”)
- Lee Jun Hyuk (“Love Scout,” “Mercy for None”)
- Choo Young Woo (“Head Over Heels,” “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call”)
Female Excellence Award (Mid-Length Drama)
- Go Youn Jung (“Resident Playbook”)
- Park Ji Hyun (“You and Everything Else”)
- Shin Ye Eun (“The Murky Stream,” “A Hundred Memories”)
- Yeom Jung Ah (“Love, Take Two,” “The Defects”)
- Jang Yoon Joo (“Ms. Incognito”)
Best New Actor
- Kang You Seok (“Resident Playbook”)
- Kim Min Kyu (“BITCH X RICH 2,” “Love, Take Two”)
- Kim Yo Han (“The Winning Try”)
- Ryeoun (“Weak Hero Class 2,” “Namib”)
- Lee Chae Min (“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty,” “Crushology 101”)
Best New Actress
- Bang Hyo Rin (“Aema”)
- Shin Sia (“Resident Playbook”)
- Yoon Seo Ah (“The Tale of Mrs. Ok,” “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty”)
- Ha Young (“The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,” “Face Me”)
- Hong Hwa Yeon (“Buried Hearts,” “Tastefully Yours,” “I Am a Running Mate”)
Male Excellence Award (Long-Form Drama)
- Kim Dong Wan (“For Eagle Brothers”)
- Park Sang Nam (“My Merry Marriage”)
- Seo Jun Young (“Queen’s House”)
- Seo Ha Joon (“The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun”)
- Yoon Hyun Min (“Our Golden Days”)
Female Excellence Award (Long-Form Drama)
- Park Eun Hye (“Marie and Her Three Daddies”)
- Shim Yi Young (“Desperate Mrs. Seonju”)
- Lee Shi Ah (“A Graceful Liar”)
- Lee Tae Ran (“Our Golden Days”)
- Jung In Sun (“Our Golden Days”)
Best Short Drama or Web Drama Actor
- Park Sung Woong (“A Head Coach’s Turnover”)
- Park Su Oh (“A Head Coach’s Turnover”)
- Jung Gun Joo (“2024 KBS Drama Special” – “the road in between”)
- Kim Ki Hyun (“No MZ for Old Men”)
- Lee Dong Gun (“Useless Love”)
- Cha Sun Woo (“He Is Back,” “Competition with me”)
- Cha Hak Yeon (“The Killer Next Door”)
Best Short Drama or Web Drama Actress
- Park Ha Sun (“Useless Love,” “Psychopath Yeo Sun Jung”)
- Lee Soo Ji (“No MZ for Old Men”)
- Ha Ye Eun (“Gang Girl Goes to Boys’ High School”)
- Hyeri (“Friendly Rivalry”)
Male Acting Award
- Ko Kyu Phil (“Genie, Make A Wish,” “Twelve”)
- Sung Dong Il (“Typhoon Family,” “The Art of Negotiation”)
- Yoon Kyung Ho (“The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call”)
- Lee Hae Young (“Buried Hearts”)
- Choi Dae Hoon (“When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “Shin’s Project”)
Female Acting Award
- Kang Ae Shim (“Squid Game 2,” Squid Game 3,” “Love, Take Two”)
- Kim Shin Rok (“Undercover High School,” “Tastefully Yours”)
- Yeom Hye Ran (“When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “Law and The City”)
- Oh Na Ra (“Villains Everywhere,” “The Nice Guy”)
- Won Mi Kyung (“Our Unwritten Seoul”)
Best Young Actor
- Kim Si Ah (“Walking On Thin Ice”)
- Kim Tae Yeon (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”)
- Moon Woo Jin (“My Dearest Nemesis”)
- Lee Cheon Moo (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”)
- Jo Dan (“Villains Everywhere”)
Popularity Awards
The final voting for the Popularity Awards at the 11th APAN STAR AWARDS in 2025 is now! Preliminary voting ended on November 24, and the final round starts on November 27. You can support your favorite actors using the Idol Champ and My1Pick mobile apps until December 19!
Popular Actor
- Byeon Woo Seok
- Choo Young Woo
- Ji Chang Wook
- Kim Seon Ho
- Kim Yohan
- Lee Chae Min
- Lee Junho
- Lee Jun Hyuk
- Park Seo Ham
- Seo In Guk
Popular Actress
- IU
- Kim Hye Yoon
- Kim Ji Won
- Kim Se Jeong
- Kim So Hyun
- Jung Soo Bin
- Jung So Min
- Lee Se Young
- Lim YoonA
- Park Eun Bin
Global Star Award
- Byeon Woo Seok
- Choo Young Woo
- IU
- Kim Hye Yoon
- Lee Chae Min
- Lee Junho
- Lee Jun Hyuk
- Lim YoonA
- Park Bo Gum
- Yook Sung Jae
Popular Couple
- Hyeri & Jung Soo Bin in “Friendly Rivalry”
- Lim YoonA & Lee Chae Min in “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty”
- Yoo Yeon Seok & Chae Soo Bin in “When the Phone Rings”
- Choi Woo Shik & Jung So Min in “Would You Marry Me”
- Kim Woo Bin & Suzy in “Genie, Make a Wish”
- Park Bo Gum & Kim So Hyun in “Good Boy”
- Choo Young Woo & Cho Yi Hyun in “Head Over Heels”
- Han Ji Min & Lee Jun Hyuk in “Love Scout”
- Jeon Yeon Been & Jung Jin Young in “Ms. Incognito”
- Lee Junho & Kim Min Ha in “Typhoon Family”
Best Entertainer (Voting Category)
- Cha Eun Woo
- Do Kyung Soo (EXO’s D.O.)
- Jisoo (BLACKPINK)
- Kim So Won
- Lee Hyeri
- Lee Junho (2PM)
- Lee Jun Young
- Park Bo Gum
- Park Jaechan (DKZ)
- Yunho (ATEEZ)
Best OST
- “More Beautiful than Heaven” by Lim Young-woong for “Heavenly Ever After”
- “Unknown Life” by Young-tak for “Eagle Five Brothers”
- “Refresh” by Zhang Hao for “To The Moon”
- “As Before” by Jong Ho for “The Nice Guy”
- “Close to you” by Jin of BTS for “When the Stars Gossip”
- “First Happiness” by Kim Tae Rae of ZEROBASEONE for “My Youth”
- “You Who I Met by Chance” by Kim Hee Jae for “Dog Knows Everything”
- “We Don’t Stop” by PLAVE for “The Fiery Priest 2”
- “Did You See The Rainbow?” by Lee Junho for “Typhoon Family”
- “START!” by Stray Kids’ members Lee Know, Seungmin, and I.N for “Resident Playbook”
Who Are You Rooting For?
As we count down to December 29, let’s cheer all nominees who brought us unforgettable stories.
So, who are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments below and get ready for a night of pure magic!
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