1st Korea Short Drama Awards wraps up with director Lee Joo-seung’s “The Woman Upstairs Is a Murderer” winning grand prize

8/31/2026 11:54:00 AM

1st Korea Short Drama Awards holds screenings and ceremony at KOFA Cinematheque on Aug. 29 “The Woman Upstairs Is a Murderer,” directed by “Director’s Arena” winner Lee Joo-seung, takes grand prize and 10 million won Short-drama festival features a Q&A with “Father’s Home Cooking” director Lee Joon-ik, along with excellence, acting and newcomer awards

1st Korea Short Drama Awards ceremony (provided by Epicstorm)

The Korea Short Drama Awards announced its winners and successfully held its inaugural ceremony.

The 1st Korea Short Drama Awards held screenings of invited works and its awards ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 29, at KOFA Cinematheque at the headquarters of the Korean Film Archive in Sangam-dong. Directors and actors from the 12 finalists were in attendance, along with Lee Joon-ik, director of the vertical-format film 〈Father’s Home Cooking〉.

The Korea Short Drama Awards began its first session at 1 p.m. with a screening of 〈Father’s Home Cooking〉 and a Q&A with director Lee Joon-ik, then held the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. The ceremony opened with remarks from Cineplay CEO Choi Tae-hyung, whose company co-hosted the awards with the Korean Film Archive. It then presented the New Creator Award, Excellence Award, Acting Award and Grand Prize. The New Creator Award went to director Lee Yoo-jin for 〈Cast Me When You See the Road〉. The Excellence Award went to 〈Betting Man: God’s Eye〉, directed by Lee Saet-byul. Actor Ji-woo received the Acting Award for a standout dual role in 〈Red Shadow〉, directed by Park Kyung-min.

The Grand Prize went to director Lee Joo-seung’s 〈The Woman Upstairs Is a Murderer〉. The film drew attention after taking first place in the short-drama director survival program “Director’s Arena,” and its Grand Prize win at the Korea Short Drama Awards further demonstrated its artistic quality and polish. Immediately after the ceremony, organizers screened the winning film, 〈The Woman Upstairs Is a Murderer〉, giving industry professionals and audiences the chance to watch a short-form drama in a theater.

The Grand Prize winner received 10 million won, while the Excellence and Acting Award winners each received 2 million won. The New Creator Award winner received one Canon Korea-sponsored EOS R6 V KIT. Every winner also received the WiiM Sound Smart Streaming Speaker, a high-end Bluetooth speaker sponsored by Orfeo Hannam, a venue specializing in sound.

Related keywords

#Korea Short Drama Awards #short-form drama #The Woman Upstairs Is a Murderer #ShortDrama #KoreaShortDramaAwards #ShortFormContent #Chinese short dramas #short videos #Korean short dramas

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