Fifteen Works Selected for 'Korea Content Awards' Story Category... 163:1 Competition Ratio

Presidential Award Goes to Lee Yoomi for 'Ille'
Total Prize Money of 320 Million Won, Works to Be Showcased at IP Market

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency announced on October 21 the 15 winning works in the 'Korea Content Awards - Story Category.' Out of a total of 2,448 submissions, resulting in a competition ratio of 163 to 1, one Presidential Award, four Ministerial Awards, and ten Director's Awards were selected. The total prize money amounts to 320 million won.

Now in its 17th year, this contest is the largest event in Korea dedicated to discovering stories that can be utilized across various fields such as performing arts, film, drama, animation, publishing, comics, and webtoons. The Korea Creative Content Agency conducted three rounds of judging from June to September. A panel of 177 judges evaluated the entries based on creativity, completeness, marketability, production feasibility, and scalability. The final head judge was Lee Myunghan, CEO of Egg is Coming and creator of the 'Reply' series.

The Presidential Award went to writer Lee Yoomi for 'Ille.' The work was highly praised for reconstructing a worldview based on regional traditional folktales, featuring a sophisticated narrative structure and a high level of immersion. The Ministerial Awards (Grand Prizes) were given to four works: 'Post-it Lady' by Song Minseong, 'Bu-gwan-cham-si' by Kim Minsu, 'Crocodile' by Jang Eunjun, and 'Gyeongseong Auctioneer Lee Seunghwa' by Cho Jieun. Each was recognized for presenting distinctive narratives by reinterpreting everyday themes, featuring intense settings, or offering multidimensional character portrayals.

The Director's Awards (Excellence Awards) went to ten works: 'Hanyang Modern Girl Parandyeon' by Jung Eunhwa, 'Fracture' by Choi Youngin, 'Interpreter Grace' by Gye Kyungbae, 'Suddenly' by Park Jaehyun, 'Vine of Numbers' by Choi Jeongseok, 'The Herbivorous Dinosaur's Way of Love' by Cho Eunnal, 'Mongsori' by Yoon Moonsung, 'Jeonse Reversal' by Seo Miran, 'Ellen (Subtitle: The Code of Loss)' by Ko Seohyeong, and 'The Heyday of Youngja' by Choi Giseok.

To enhance the potential for content development of the winning works, the Korea Creative Content Agency will exhibit them at the '2025 Content IP Market,' which will be held at COEX in Seoul from October 25 to 27. During the event, one-on-one business consultation sessions will be arranged with direct participation from the writers, supporting connections with broadcasters, production companies, and platform businesses. On October 26, there will also be an 'Open Talk' session where writers will directly introduce their creative intentions and production processes. Industry professionals attending the event will be able to assess the stories' potential through Q&A sessions and explore future possibilities for IP expansion.

Yu Hyunseok, Acting President of the Korea Creative Content Agency, stated, "We will strengthen our support for commercialization and follow-up connections so that these winning works can grow into global K-content."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.