The race for the winners of the KBS Drama Awards is officially on. KBS unveiled the seven nominees for the Grand Prize at the upcoming 2025 KBS Drama Awards on December 26th.
The prestigious list features a mix of veteran actors and top stars. Nominees include Ahn Jae Wook and Uhm Ji Won for For Eagle Brothers, Na Young Hee for Cinderella Game, Lee Young Ae and Kim Young Kwang for Walking On Thin Ice, and Chun Ho Jin and Lee Tae Ran for Our Golden Days.
However, the announcement is drawing attention for who is missing from the list: global action star Ma Dong Seok (also known as Don Lee).
Ma was excluded from the nominations despite starring in the highly anticipated blockbuster drama Twelve. Industry insiders point to the show’s disappointing performance as the likely cause; while Twelve peaked at a viewership rating of 8.1%, it suffered a dramatic crash, plummeting to a low of 2.4% by the end of its run.
Compounding the controversy are reports regarding the actor’s salary. Media outlets revealed that Ma Dong-seok was paid a staggering 500 million won ($360,000) per episode, totaling 4 billion won ($2.9 million) for the eight-episode series. The disparity between the record-breaking pay and the show’s poor ratings has become a hot topic in the industry. Ma Dong Seok’s side has not issued an official statement regarding the report.
The 2025 KBS Drama Awards will be broadcast live on December 31 at 7:10 PM KST. Beyond the Grand Prize, the ceremony will honor achievements in categories such as Top Excellence, Excellence, Best Couple, and Rookie of the Year across mini-series, long-form, and daily dramas.
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