62nd Baeksang Arts Awards: How JTBC’s ‘Kim Manager’ Dominated the Drama Category

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None of the three major terrestrial broadcasters—KBS, MBC or SBS—had dramas nominated for Best Drama at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards. Winners in the drama categories came exclusively from JTBC, Netflix, Disney Plus and tvN, though terrestrial networks claimed honors in variety and cultural programming.

At the May 8 ceremony, actor Ryu Seung-ryong took the broadcasting grand prize for his lead role in JTBC’s The Story of Manager Kim. In his acceptance speech, Ryu thanked JTBC and SLL for giving a platform of solace and empathy to a story about a man in his 50s who falls from a hard-won position—an angle the industry might have otherwise overlooked.

Hyun Bin won Best Actor for Disney Plus’s Made in Korea, and Park Bo-young won Best Actress for tvN’s Unknown Seoul. Yoo Seung-mok earned Best Supporting Actor for JTBC’s The Story of Manager Kim, and Lim Soo-jung won Best Supporting Actress for Disney Plus’s Pine: Country Bumpkins. Lee Chae-min received Best New Actor for tvN’s The Tyrant’s Chef, and Bang Hyo-rin won Best New Actress for Netflix’s Aema.

Netflix’s Eun-jung and Sang-yeon won Best Drama, tvN’s Unknown Seoul took Best Director, and Netflix’s Eun-jung and Sang-yeon also received Best Screenplay.

Nominees for Best Drama included Netflix’s Eun-jung and Sang-yeon; Disney Plus’s Pine: Country Bumpkins; JTBC’s The Story of Manager Kim; tvN’s The Tyrant’s Chef; and Netflix’s Unknown Seoul. With terrestrial dramas in a downturn last year, no terrestrial broadcaster dramas made the shortlist.

Terrestrial broadcasters have endured shrinking revenue and operating profits for years, making drama production increasingly costly. As a result, the three major networks now tend to air dramas produced by external studios or co-produce with other production houses rather than financing productions entirely in-house.

By contrast, terrestrial networks stood out in variety and cultural categories. MBC’s Rookie Director Kim Yeon-kyung won Best Variety Program, KBS1’s Our Time Is Shining won Best Cultural Program, and KBS2’s The Seasons took the Arts Award.

MBC said on the evening of May 8 that Rookie Director Kim Yeon-kyung took the Best Variety Program award at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards, reaffirming the show’s artistic merit and public impact. Director Kim was also nominated for Best Female Variety Performer, underscoring the program’s visibility. Led by volleyball legend Kim Yeon-kyung, the series received praise for its focused narrative of growth, as she builds a team from underdog players.

MBC added that the show was recognized for authentically portraying Kim’s leadership and the players’ transformation, marking a distinct achievement as Korea’s first volleyball variety program. After broadcast, Rookie Director Kim Yeon-kyung stood out in both ratings and public conversation and became MBC’s flagship sports-variety title. The program also won six awards at the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards and swept three awards at the 38th Korea PD Awards. MBC confirmed that Season 2 is in production.

SLL announced on May 11 that its three titles won seven awards at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Ryu Seung-ryong captured the broadcasting grand prize for JTBC’s The Story of Manager Kim, and Yoo Seung-mok added Best Supporting Actor, giving that series two awards. SLL’s BA Entertainment label co-produced A Man Who Lives with the King, where Yoo Hae-jin won the film grand prize and Park Ji-hoon took Best New Actor plus a special Naver Popularity Award (male). That film also won a Gucci Impact Award, bringing its total to four wins. Lim Soo-jung—who appears in the SLL co-produced Disney Plus series Pine: Country Bumpkins—won Best Supporting Actress in the broadcasting category.

An SLL representative said the multiple wins reflect the content ecosystem SLL has built, where production companies and creators grow together. “We will continue to elevate K-content by producing well-made works across drama and film in a range of genres,” the spokesperson added.