2025 APAN Star Awards Winners: IU bags Daesang, When Life Gives You Tangerines crowned Best Drama, Lee Jun Ho wins big

It was a night of triumph and high emotions in Seoul as the 2025 APAN Star Awards took over the Dongdaemun Design Plaza on December 29. The evening truly belonged to singer-actress IU, who swept the top honors by taking home the prestigious Grand Prize (Daesang), while her hit series When Life Gives You Tangerines was crowned Best Drama.

The ceremony served as a massive celebration of the past year in Korean entertainment, evaluating everything from traditional TV broadcasts to the latest streaming hits released between November 2024 and October 2025.

Accepting her award with visible emotion, IU spoke about how much the project meant to her personally. "When Life Gives You Tangerines is a proud and precious piece of work that I will always treasure, just for having participated in it," she shared. In a beautiful nod to the show’s themes, 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."

Another major highlight of the night was Lee Jun-ho, who solidified his "Global Star" status by taking home a total of three trophies, including Best Actor for his work in Typhoon Family.

 

Full List of 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 (Actress): 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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