The Netflix original series "Thank You for Your Hard Work" achieved a remarkable feat by clinching three major honors at the 2025 International Streaming Festival Global OTT Awards, including the prestigious Grand Prize for Best Creative Work.

Co-hosted by the Korea International Streaming Festival and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency, the awards ceremony took place on the evening of August 24 at the open-air theater of the Busan Cinema Center. The event was led by actor Ju Jong-hyuk and announcer Lee Hye-seong, featuring 14 competitive categories and four special invites. The Global OTT Awards aim to celebrate innovation in streaming platforms, creative endeavors, and outstanding content, solidifying their status as a new cultural hall of fame.

The coveted Best Creative Work award—the Grand Prize of the festival—went to Netflix’s "Thank You for Your Hard Work" for its poetic portrayal of Jeju Island’s changing seasons, key moments in modern Korean history, and powerful performances by its actors, receiving acclaim from the judges as a lyrical epic.

Out of six major categories for which it was nominated, "Thank You for Your Hard Work" emerged as the night’s biggest winner, with scriptwriter Lim Sang-chun receiving the Best Writer award and actress Yum Hye-ran taking home the Best Supporting Actress title. Notably, Yum Hye-ran’s win marks her second consecutive year claiming Best Supporting Actress, following her win at the 2024 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards for her role in "Mask Girl".

In fiercely contested races, Disney+’s "Nine Puzzle" won Best OTT Original, PTS+’s "Wave Makers" took home Best Asian Content, and TVING’s "Street Woman Fighter World Championship" was awarded Best Reality/Variety.

Director Yao Xiao-feng from iQIYI's "Northward" earned the Best Director accolade for the sensitive depiction of China’s Grand Canal and the coming-of-age stories of contemporary Chinese youth, a series that received glowing reviews from Korean audiences during the festival’s screening.

Best Actor honors went to Sakaguchi Kentaro of Coupang Play’s "After Love Comes", who delighted fans by delivering his acceptance speech in Korean, earning even more applause. Oh Jung-se from JTBC’s "Good Boy" received Best Supporting Actor, being praised for his chilling transformation into a pure villain—a performance that resonated particularly well with the international jury.

The Best New Actor/Actress awards were shared among Kang Yu-seok of TVING’s "Someday Wise Resident Life", Jung Soo-bin of U+ Mobile tv’s "Competing in Good Faith", and Suri Lin of Netflix’s "Spotlight Is Mine", highlighting the rising stars within the OTT landscape.

In technical categories, the Best Digital VFX Award went to YOUKU’s "Inhuman Residence 2", while the Best Music award was won by Ado for "Elf", featured in TBS’s "Who Watched the Peacock Dance?".

The Rising Star Award acknowledged Lee Soo-hyun of Coupang Play’s "Family Planning" and Sa Peng-yuan of iQIYI’s "Naming Rebirth" for their promising future and expected impact on the industry.

The People's Choice Awards, determined through global fan participation via the My One Pick platform, were claimed by Bai Jingting of YOUKU’s "Nan Hong" and Bai Lu of iQIYI’s "Northward", demonstrating the international reach and passionate fanbases for these actors. A notable turnout of Bai Jingting’s fans at the ceremony further underscored this global popularity.

Kicking off on August 22, the 2025 International Streaming Festival stands as Korea’s only global event dedicated to streaming, with this year marking its expansion into a fully independent festival apart from the Busan International Film Festival. The event showcases the future of "media-culture-technology" convergence through a celebration of emerging OTT media services and technological innovation.

The 2025 International Streaming Festival runs through August 25 at Busan Cinema Center and Paradise Hotel. Festival details and additional information are available on the official website and social media channels.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Korea International Streaming Festival