23rd Director’s Cut Awards full winners list: Lee Do Hyun wins big for Exhuma, A Killer Paradox takes top drama honor

Kim Go Eun and Lee Do Hyun’s Exhuma swept the 23rd Director’s Cut Awards, while Lee Byung Hun and Lee Hee Joon also took home major honors. See the full winners list.

By Peuli Bakshi

Updated on May 22, 2025 | 01:59 PM IST | 150K

Lee Do Hyun in Exhuma, A Killer Paradox poster: courtesy of Prime Video, Netflix Korea

The 23rd Director's Cut Awards ceremony took place on May 20 at 7 PM KST (3:30 PM IST) and the winners list was shared online by the DGK (Directors Guild of Korea) on May 21. The DKG members (Korean directors) are the ones who select the winners through a majority vote system. During the event, the association honored the best films, series, actors and rising stars with prestigious accolades. Among them, a notable mention was Exhuma, who swept multiple titles.

Exhuma bagged four awards from among 13 categories, becoming the most-awarded one among movies and series at the 2025 award show. The occult film was bestowed with titles of Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (won by Kim Go Eun) and Best New Actor (won by Lee Do Hyun). Exhuma achieved an impressive feat by winning in most of its nominated categories, except for two.

Lee Byung Hun and Lee Hee Joon clinched best actor titles in film and drama categories for The Match and A Killer Paradox, respectively. A Killer Paradox received two more awards—Kim Yo Han for Best New Actor and Lee Chang Hee for Best Director. It was the second-most awarded, following Exhuma. Check out who all won in the rest of the categories below.