Singer and actress IU took home the Grand Prize at the APAN Star Awards, marking a defining moment in her career.
Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines emerged as the night's biggest winner with six awards. In addition to IU's Grand Prize, the drama claimed major honors including Best Drama and Best Director.
The 2025 SeoulCon APAN Star Awards were held on December 29 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, recognizing outstanding dramas aired over the past year across terrestrial networks, cable channels, and OTT platforms.
The Grand Prize went to IU for When Life Gives You Tangerines. In her acceptance speech, she shared, "Being part of When Life Gives You Tangerines alone feels like a badge of honor. It's a precious project I'll always be proud of."
She continued, "Our drama tells the story of people who live each given day with sincerity. I hope viewers, too, are rewarded with moments as breathtaking as a field of canola flowers in their own lives. Thank you for loving When Life Gives You Tangerines throughout 2025."
The series also won Best Drama, while director Kim Won-seok received the Best Director award, solidifying the show's status as one of the year's most acclaimed works.
Additional wins for When Life Gives You Tangerines included Best Actor in a Mid-Length Drama (Lee Jun-young), Best New Actor (Kang Yoo-seok), and Youth Actor Awards (Kim Tae-yeon and Lee Cheon-moo).
Acting categories were presented across short-form, web, mid-length, and long-form dramas. Lee Junho (Typhoon Company) and Cha Joo-young (Won-gyeong) won Best Actor and Actress in the Mid-Length Drama category.
Ahn Jae-wook and Uhm Ji-won received Best Actor and Actress awards in the Long-Form Drama category for KBS2's Please Take Care of the Five Eagle Brothers.
Shin Ye-eun won Best Actress in a Mid-Length Drama for her performances in Disney+'s Turbid Waters and JTBC's A Hundred Memories, while Seo Ha-joon (The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun) and Park Eun-hye (Maria and the Unusual Dads) took Best Actor and Actress awards in Long-Form Drama.
The Acting Awards were also claimed by Go Gyu-pil (Everything Will Come True, Twelve), Yoon Kyung-ho (Severe Trauma Center), Kim Shin-rok (Undercover High School, Your Taste), and Oh Na-ra (Villains' Country, Good Man).
Below is the full list of major winners at the APAN Star Awards:
Best New Actor (Male): Kang Yoo-seok, Lee Chae-min
Best New Actor (Female): Ha-young, Hong Hwa-yeon
Acting Award (Male): Go Gyu-pil, Yoon Kyung-ho
Acting Award (Female): Kim Shin-rok, Oh Na-ra
Youth Actor Award (Male): Lee Cheon-moo
Youth Actor Award (Female): Kim Tae-yeon
Global Influencer Award (Overseas): Tatta, Huihui
Global Influencer Award (Domestic): Kim Pro, Yoo Baek-hap, Park Il-seo
Idol Champ Popular Actor Award (Male): Lee Junho
Idol Champ Popular Actor Award (Female): Kim Hye-yoon
Idol Champ Best OST Award: Lim Young-woong – More Beautiful Than Heaven
Idol Champ Best Couple Award: Lee Hye-ri – Jung Soo-bin
Idol Champ Global Star Award: Lee Junho
Idol Champ Best Entertainer Award: Cha Eun-woo
Short-Form Drama Acting Award: Jung Gun-joo
Web Drama Acting Award (Male): Kim Ki-hyun
Web Drama Acting Award (Female): Park Ha-sun
KS Autoplan Asia Star Award: Jinyoung, Jung Soo-bin
KS Autoplan Icon Award: Han Ji-eun
Best Actor (Long-Form Drama): Seo Ha-joon
Best Actress (Long-Form Drama): Park Eun-hye
Best Actor (Mid-Length Drama): Lee Jun-young
Best Actress (Mid-Length Drama): Shin Ye-eun
Best Writer Award: Jang Hyun
Best Director Award: Kim Won-seok
Top Excellence Actor (Long-Form Drama): Ahn Jae-wook
Top Excellence Actress (Long-Form Drama): Uhm Ji-won
Top Excellence Actor (Mid-Length Drama): Lee Junho
Top Excellence Actress (Mid-Length Drama): Cha Joo-young
Best Drama: Netflix When Life Gives You Tangerines
Grand Prize: IU
