[OSEN=Choi Lee-jung] South Korea’s first drama festival, the ‘Korea Drama Festival (KDF)’, successfully concluded its 10-day journey, simultaneously spotlighting the present and future of K-dramas.
Hosted by the Korea Drama Festival Organizing Committee and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Jinju City, the 19th ‘2026 Korea Drama Festival’ was held successfully from the 9th to the 18th in areas of Jinju, including the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center and Namgang Riverside.
At the ’17th Korea Drama Awards’, the highlight of this festival, actor Park Hae-soo proudly embraced the grand honor of the Grand Prize. Amidst last year’s Grand Prize winner Ahn Jae-wook stepping up as a presenter, the Best Work award went to ‘Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’. Best Leading Actor and Actress awards went to Lee Hee-jun and Jang Young-nam, while Best Supporting Actor and Actress went to Jin Sun-kyu and Kwak Sun-young respectively, giving fair recognition to actors who gave passionate performances throughout the year.
Actors and global influencers shared award news and on-site sketches via SNS, and the official YouTube live broadcast alongside its 5-day cumulative view count surpassed 200,000 views, proving a powerful online influence.
In particular, this year’s KDF stood out for its global external expansion. Twenty global artists and influencers from 11 countries including France, Germany, the United States, Mexico, and Egypt participated, acting as presenters and public relations ambassadors to promote Jinju’s cultural and tourism resources to the world.
In terms of content production, unconventional attempts continued. Director Chang directed the global short-form ‘Jinju’, starring Egyptian actress Yasmine Aladin, and the generative AI technology-utilized short-form ‘She is Laughing’ were premiered, achieving a successful paradigm shift from a conventional ‘watching festival’ to a ‘direct creation production festival’.
Furthermore, over 10,000 spectators flocked to the KDF Concert and EDM Music Festa held at the Namgang Riverside. From stages featuring legendary singers who defined their eras such as Kim Won-joon, Cool Kim Sung-soo, Roo’ra Kim Ji-hyun, Park Nam-jung, and Park Goon, to classical music and comedy shows, they completed a Namgang night enjoyed by all generations.
Son Sung-min, Chairman of the Korea Drama Festival Organizing Committee, shared his thoughts by stating, “We will do our best to grow it into a festival where fans and the general public can enjoy together and widely publicize the proud K-drama to the world,” and added, “We have confirmed that the festival has grown a step further into one where drama content and public entertainment coexist.”
