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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Hallyuwood devider IU bags grand prize, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' wins best drama at 2025 APAN Star Awards

IU bags grand prize, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' wins best drama at 2025 APAN Star Awards

Published Dec 30, 2025 09:53 am
IU at the 2025 APAN Star Awards (left), and IU and Park Bogum in a poster for "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (X, Netflix)
IU at the 2025 APAN Star Awards (left), and IU and Park Bogum in a poster for "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (X, Netflix)

Korean singer-actress IU took home the grand prize (“daesang”) while her series “When Life Gives You Tangerines” won best drama at the 2025 APAN Star Awards held on Dec. 29 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul.

This year’s awards evaluated all Korean drama content, including terrestrial, cable, OTT, and web dramas, aired from November 2024 to October 2025 to determine the winners.  

“‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ is a proud and precious piece of work that I will always treasure, just for having participated in it," said IU upon receiving the award. 

She added, "Our work is about people living each day diligently. I sincerely hope that all viewers who have shown support, understanding, and empathy for their lives will find a wonderful and enchanting reward, like the rapeseed fields that Ae-sun and Gwan-sik walked through, waiting for them at their next crossroads.”

Lee Jun-ho won three awards: best actor in a miniseries for “Typhoon Family,” Actor Popularity Award and Global Star Award. 

Lee Jun-ho (Instagram)
Lee Jun-ho (Instagram)
The winners at the 2025 APAN Star Awards (APAN Star Awards Organizing Committee)
The winners at the 2025 APAN Star Awards (APAN Star Awards Organizing Committee)
IU ( (APAN Star Awards Organizing Committee, X)
IU ( (APAN Star Awards Organizing Committee, X)

Here are the winners at the 2025 APAN Star Awards:

Grand Prize (Daesang) - IU,  “When Life Gives You Tangerines” 

Drama of the Year -  “When Life Gives You Tangerines” 

Best Director - Kim Won-seok,  “When Life Gives You Tangerines”  

Best Screenwriter - Jang Hyun-sook, “Typhoon Family”

Top Excellence Award, Miniseries (Actor) - Lee Jun-ho, "Typhoon Family'

Top Excellence Award, Miniseries (Actress) - Cha Joo-young, "The Queen Who Crowns"

Excellence Award, Miniseries (Actor) - Lee Jun-young, "When Life Gives You Tangerines," "Pump Up the Healthy Love"

Excellence Award, Miniseries (Actress) - Shin Ye-eun, "The Murky Stream," "A Hundred Memories"

Top Excellence Award, Serial Drama (Actor) - Ahn Jae-wook, "For Eagle Brothers"

Top Excellence Award, Serial Drama (Actress) - Uhm Ji-won,  "For Eagle Brothers"

Excellence Award, Serial Drama (Actor) - Seo Ha-jun, "The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun"

Excellence Award, Serial Drama (Actress) - Park Eun-hye, "Marie and Her Three Daddies"

Excellence Award, Web Drama (Actor) - Kim Ki-hyun, "No MZ for Old Men"

Excellence Award, Web Drama (Actor) - Park Ha-sun, "A Love That's Completely Useless," "Psychopath Yeo Soon-jeong"

Excellence Award, Short Drama -  Jung Gun-joo, "The Road in Between"

Excellence Acting Award (Actor) - Ko Kyu-pil, "Genie, Make a Wish," "Twelve"

- Yoon Kyung-ho, "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call"

Excellence Acting Award (Actress) - Oh Na-ra, "Villains Everywhere," "The Nice Guy"

- Kim Shin-rok, :Undercover High School," "Tastefully Yours"

Best New Actor - Lee Chae-min, "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty," "Crushology 101"

- Kang You-seok, "Resident Playbook," "When Life Gives You Tangerines"

Best New Actress - Ha-young, "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," "Face Me"

- Hong Hwa-yeon, "Buried Hearts," "Tastefully Yours," "I Am a Running Mate"

Best Child Actor - Kim Tae-yeon, "When Life Gives You Tangerines"

Lee Cheon-mu, "When Life Gives You Tangerines"

Best Couple Award - Lee Hye-ri, Chung Su-bin, "Friendly Rivalry"

Idol Champ Popularity Award (Actor) - Lee Jun-ho

Idol Champ Popularity Award (Actress) - Kim Hye-yoon

Idol Champ Global Star Award - Lee Jun-ho

Idol Champ Best Entertainer Award - Cha Eun-woo

Idol Champ Best Original Soundtrack - Lim Young-woong, "More beautiful than heaven"  for "Heavenly Ever After"

KS Autoplan Asia Star Award - Jinyoung, Chung Su-bin

KS Autoplan Icon Award - Han Ji Eun, "When the Stars Gossip," "Study Group"

Global Influencer Award (Overseas) - Dada, HuiHui

Global Influencer Award (Domestic) - Kimpro, Yu Baek-hap, Park Il-seo

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