KBS has dropped the first preview for the upcoming 2025 KBS Drama Awards, but the excitement is overshadowed by the network’s massive ratings slump this year. Despite casting huge stars like Lee Young-ae and Ma Dong-seok, KBS suffered one of its worst annual performances, leaving viewers wondering who could possibly claim the Grand Prize at the end-of-year ceremony. The show, airing December 31, is expected to spotlight all of KBS’s dramas from mini-series to weekend shows.
The awards will be hosted once again by Jang Sung-kyu, joined by actors Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang-min, the leads of the upcoming weekend drama My Beloved Thief. The teaser montage showcases clips from many 2025 KBS titles, including For Eagle Brothers, Pump Up the Healthy Love, Walking On Thin Ice, Twelve, The First Night With the Duke, and Villains Everywhere. A standout line from Lee Young-ae—“The word will spread! People will flock from everywhere!”—captures the hopeful energy KBS wants the event to project.
However, star power wasn’t enough to save KBS this year. Nearly all its dramas struggled to climb out of single-digit ratings, marking one of the network’s roughest periods in recent memory. Major projects flopped unexpectedly: Twelve debuted decently but collapsed after poor reviews, Walking On Thin Ice only averaged around 3%, and Last Summer dropped to 1.5%. The biggest shock was Pump Up the Healthy Love, which even slipped into the 0% range.
With such a turbulent year behind them, predicting who will take home the Daesang has become more complicated than ever. KBS still aims to wrap up the year with an elegant, star-studded celebration showcasing the actors and moments that defined 2025. But with most shows underperforming, naming a clear frontrunner is nearly impossible.
As the ceremony approaches, all eyes are on whether a veteran like Lee Young-ae will claim the network’s highest honor, or whether KBS will crown a surprise contender instead. The 2025 KBS Drama Awards will air on December 31, closing out a challenging year the network hopes to learn from—and move past.
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