CJ ENM’s drama Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born, a series that reportedly cost a total of 33.6 billion won, with about 2.8 billion won per episode, was selected as one of the best programs of 2025 by the Korea Media and Communications Commission.
Despite heated controversy over budget pressures and high actor salaries triggered by rising talent costs in the Netflix era, Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born has become one of CJ ENM’s most successful titles.
On December 12, the Commission held its annual awards ceremony at Lotte Hotel in Seoul’s Jung District and announced Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born as the Grand Prize (Daesang) winner among programs broadcast in 2025.
A Studio Dragon production that aired on tvN from October to November last year, Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born is adapted from a popular webtoon. The drama reinvents traditional Korean gukgeuk through a modern lens, following the story of a talented singer who seeks to become the best gukgeuk performer. Its themes of competition, cooperation and personal growth have resonated widely with audiences.
The series arrived at a time when actor salaries were soaring, reportedly reaching 500-800 million won per episode for top stars due to a market shift triggered by global streaming demand. Reports suggest that the main actors of Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born earned between 200 and 300 million won per episode, which has fueled the debate over the industry’s excessive costs.
However, Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born has overcome these criticisms to become a major talking point that has surpassed even several Netflix originals in terms of buzz and viewership.
The series premiered with a national viewership rating of 4.8% and consistently broke its own records during its run. It ultimately broke the “15% barrier,” finishing with a national average of 16.5% and a peak of 18.8%, ranking first in its time slot across all channels, including free-to-air networks.
The drama has also attracted global attention, topping the Disney+ TV show charts in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and generating significant interest in Japan.
In addition to Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born winning the Grand Prize at the ceremony, the Excellence Award went to KBS documentary Glaciers, which explores 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history through the lens of glaciers. The program has been praised for broadening public understanding of climate change through scientific, ecological and social perspectives.
Nine other entries, including SBS Special – Hakjeon and Kim Min‑gi Behind the Scenes, received Outstanding Program Awards, highlighting a strong year for Korean broadcasting.
Sources: Daum
