R.C On the night of October 23, Seoul’s Haeoreum Grand Theater dressed up to celebrate the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards 2025 and today Crazy about Korea We bring you all the details
These are not any prizes; They are honors granted by the Government of South Korea to recognize those artists who have made monumental contributions to the development and expansion of popular culture. And go if this year’s list is full of stars! 🤩
The ceremony, elegantly led by the actor Kim Min Kyu and the announcer Park Sun Young, It was a night full of emotion, tributes and historical moments.
Here I bring you the complete list of the winners and the details that you cannot miss.
👑 Orders of Cultural Merit: The highest honors of the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards 2025
This is the highest recognition given at the ceremony, recognizing an impact race on culture.
Eungwan Order (Silver Crown)
This year’s supreme honor went to the legendary actress Kim Hae-sook. known as the ‘mother of the nationIn the K-dramas (we have seen her in a thousand dramas and recently in Disney+’s ‘Tempest’, her contribution to the industry is undeniable.
Receiving the award, visibly moved, said: ‘I am truly grateful and honored to receive such a great recognition. I will always remember this moment and I will continue to grow as a warmer and responsible actress for the audience‘Fully deserved!
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Bogwan Order (Precious Crown)
Two heavyweight actors received this prestigious honor in the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards 2025, recognizing their long and impressive careers:
- Actor Lee Byung Hun
- Actor Jung Dong Hwan
Order Okgwan (jeweled crown): G-Dragon makes history
Attention, VIPs! This was one of the peak moments of the night. G-Dragon received the Okgwan Order, becoming the youngest receiver in history of this award.
G-Dragon, leader of BIGBANGHe gave a touching speech reflecting on his career: ‘I remember that I was about six years old, holding hands with my mother, not really knowing what was going on, when I went to my first audition. Since that day, I have pursued the same dream… In my 20, I received the mention of the Prime Minister. And now, in my 30s, I have received the Order of Cultural Merit. So I can’t help but look forward to what my 40 will bring‘.
Together with him, they were honored:
- Voice actor Bae Han Sung
- The late comedian Jeon Yoo Sung (His daughter, Jeon Je-Bi, received the honor on his behalf at a very emotional moment.)
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🏆 Presidential mention
The next level of recognition within the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards 2025 It was for a group of artists who dominate the global scene. The list is awesome!
- Actress Kim Mi Kyung (Another of our favorite K-drama ‘mothers!)
- Actor Lee Min Ho (The King of Hallyu 👑)
- Actress Lee Jung Eun (Impossible to forget her in ‘parasite’)
- Group TVXQ (Living Legends of K-Pop)
- Group seventeen (Congratulations, Carats! 💎)
- BLACKPINK ROSE (Global Power 🖤💖)
- Voice actress Kim Eun Young
🏅 Prime Minister’s mention
Here we see an incredible mix of K-pop stars and performance heavyweights that have given us some of the best recent K-dramas and were featured in the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards 2025.
- Actress Kim Tae Ri (‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’)
- Actress Kim Ji Won (‘Queen of Tears’)
- Actress Park Bo Young (‘Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon’)
- Actor Park Hae Joon (‘The World of the Married’)
- Actor Ju Ji Hoon (‘Kingdom’)
- Group ATEEZ (Congratulations, Atin!)
- Group TWICE (Our queens! 🍭)
- Guitarist Choi Hee Sun
✨ Mention of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
This award celebrates emerging stars and artists who are defining the new wave of Korean culture. Pure young talent!
- Actor Go Yoon Jung (‘moving’)
- Actor Byeon Woo Seok (‘Lovely Runner’)
- Actor Ji Chang Wook (‘Welcome to Samdal-Ri’)
- Actor Choo Young Woo
- Group Riize
- Group (g)i-dle
- Group le sserafim
- Group ZerobaseOne (ZB1)
- Comedian Lee Soo Ji
- Dance team baby (who also had a special presentation)
It was a spectacular night that celebrates the power of Korean pop culture, from its founding legends to the stars that are conquering the world today.
Congratulations to all the winners! 🎉 What was your favorite awardee? Tell me in the comments!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Understanding the ‘Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards’
Q1: When did these awards start?
Good question! Although ‘cultural orders of merit’ existed for a long time, the specific ceremony of Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, focused on artists of pop culture (idols, actors, comedians), was held by first time in 2010.
Q2: Why are these awards so prestigious or important?
This is the key: unlike music prizes (such as Mama or Melon) or acting (like Baeksang), these They are not industry prizes, they are government honors.
are granted directly by the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards and the Korea Creative Content Agency (Kocca) on behalf of the nation. Receiving one is considered one of the highest honors for an artist, since he acknowledges that his work has contributed directly to the image and cultural development of South Korea at a global level.
Q3: What is the difference between an ‘order’ (such as G-Dragon’s) and a ‘mention’ (like Seventeen) from the Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards 2025?
Both are government honors, but have different hierarchy:
- Order of Cultural Merit (Medal): It is the highest honor. It is divided into classes (Kim Hae Sook’s Eungwan is the 2nd class, the G-Dragon Okgwan is the 4th). It is generally granted by a significant trajectory or a monumental global impact.
- Mention (citation): They are the following levels of honor. The hierarchy is: 1st presidential mention (the one won seventeen), 2nd mention of the prime minister (the one won by TWICE) and 3rd mention of the minister (the one that Riize won).
Win any Of these is a great prestige, but receiving an ‘order’ (medal) is a superior recognition.
Q4: What other famous Hallyu artists have won in previous years?
This is where we see the magnitude of these prizes! The list of past winners is legendary.
- BTS (2018): the most famous case. The seven members received the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit (5th class) in 2018 for his exceptional contribution to the expansion of the Korean wave. They were the youngest winners in history to receive an order of merit.
- Psy (2012): received the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit (the same as G-Dragon this year) in 2012, thanks to the global phenomenon of ‘Gangnam Style’.
- Lee Min Ho (2014): Although this year he won the presidential mention, he had already been recognized in 2014 with the mention of the Prime Minister, demonstrating his sustained impact.
- Bong Joon Ho (2019): The director of ‘Parasite’, received the Eungwan Order (Same as Kim Hae Sook this year) before to win his Oscars, demonstrating Korea’s recognition of his work.
- Song Kang Ho (2019): The protagonist of ‘Parasite’ also received the Eungwan Order for Cultural Merit that same year.
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