‘A Better Man’ sweeps Seoul Drama Awards with three wins for its misogynist’s transformation

Nordic story takes global stage as K-content makes commanding gains

Norway’s acclaimed ‘A Better Man’ won the Grand Prize in this year’s ‘Seoul Drama Awards’ International Competition. The organizing committee officially announced the final winners of the ‘Seoul Drama Awards 2026,’ including its top honor, on the 22nd, drawing the attention of the global content industry.

The Grand Prize winner, ‘A Better Man,’ sharply portrays the inner upheaval of Tom, a middle-aged man played by Anders Baasmo, who engages in misogyny and malicious slander online before disguising himself as a woman and retreating into seclusion after his ugly true nature is exposed. The organizing committee praised the series, saying it “demonstrated an unrivaled level of excellence across every artistic dimension, from writing and direction to acting.” The production won three awards, adding Thomas Seeberg Torjussen’s ‘Best Writer’ award and Anders Baasmo’s ‘Best Actor’ award to the Grand Prize.

Amid fierce competition in the International Competition, ‘Disclosure’ won Best Drama in the one-act category. In the miniseries category, ‘Pluribus: The Age of Happiness,’ ‘Brave New World,’ and South Korea’s ‘The Story of Manager Kim, Who Owns a Home in Seoul and Works for a Major Corporation’ (hereafter ‘The Story of Manager Kim’) shared the Best Drama honor. Ryu Seung-ryong, the lead actor who anchored ‘The Story of Manager Kim,’ won the ‘Best Actor’ award for his commanding performance, underscoring his powerful presence.

The Feature-Length Drama awards went to ‘If I Hadn’t Seen the Sun’ and ‘The Child.’ The ‘Short-Form Drama’ award also returned in grand fashion for the first time in five years, after 2021, going to ‘Unfiltered’ and reflecting the changing media landscape. In the directing category, Vince Gilligan and Gordon Smith won the ‘Best Director’ award for ‘Pluribus: The Age of Happiness,’ while Elisaveta Maksimova won ‘Best Actress’ for ‘Mom,’ demonstrating world-class talent.

The ‘Asia Star Award,’ a showcase of the formidable power of global fandoms, went to seven stars commanding audiences across Asia, led by NCT’s Jaemin and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, along with China’s Yang Yang and Japan’s Jin Akanishi.

The K-drama category, which highlights the strength of South Korean dramas, also produced a closely contested race. ‘The Story of Manager Kim’ and ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’ (hereafter ‘Mosaemusa’) shared the ‘Best Drama’ award, reaffirming the solid standing of K-content. The acting awards went to Koo Kyo-hwan, who showed an inimitable appeal in ‘Mosaemusa,’ and Lim Ji-yeon of ‘Brave New World.’ The ‘OST Award’ went to RIIZE’s Anton, who performed ‘Close to Me,’ a song featured in the hit series ‘Yumi’s Cells’ Season 3.

The winner of the ‘Golden Bird Award,’ the ceremony’s pinnacle and most closely watched honor, will finally be unveiled on the 29th.

The ceremony, a global celebration of drama professionals, will open in grand fashion at 4:55 p.m. on Oct. 8 at KBS Hall in Yeouido, hosted by actor Kim Nam-gil and MBC announcer Lee Jae-eun. The event will be broadcast live by MBC and beamed worldwide through the official ‘Seoul Drama Awards’ YouTube channel.

#SeoulDramaAwards #SeoulInternationalDramaAwards #ABetterMan #ABetterMan #RyuSeungRyong #RyuSeungRyong #KooKyoHwan #KooKyoHwan #LimJiYeon #LimJiYeon #Jisoo #Jisoo #Jaemin #Jaemin #TheStoryOfManagerKim #KimBuJangStory