Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” has been named Best Picture at the 46th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (Youngpyeong Awards), with Jeon Do-yeon winning Best Actress for her performance in the film. The winners were announced ahead of the awards ceremony, which will be held on November 4 at the Korean Film Archive’s Cinematheque KOFA.
“Possible Love” secured two of the night’s top honors, taking Best Picture and Best Actress. The film premiered at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, and it was produced by Pinehouse Film. Na Hong-jin’s “Hope” emerged as the biggest winner of the night with three awards: Best Director for Na Hong-jin, Best Actor for Cho In-sung, and Best Cinematography for Hong Kyung-pyo. It was Cho In-sung’s first-ever Best Actor award at the Youngpyeong Awards.
The acting categories were rounded out by Ye Soo-jung, who won Best Supporting Actress for “People and Meat,” and Oh Jung-se, who took Best Supporting Actor for “Wild Things.” Park Ji-hoon earned Best New Actor for “The King’s Warden,” while Seo Soo-bin won Best New Actress for “The World of Love.” Best Screenplay went to Byun Sung-hyun and Lee Jin-sung for “Good News.” The Achievement Award in Film will be presented to veteran actor Go Eun-ah, who debuted in the 1965 film “Rain of Orchid” and led the golden age of Korean cinema in the 1960s and 1970s.
This year’s ceremony also introduced a brand-new category dedicated to original streaming series, a first for the awards. In the new OTT series categories, Shin Hae-sun won Best Actress for Netflix’s “The Art of Sarah,” and Hyun Bin was named Best Actor for Disney Plus’ “Made in Korea.” Jang Young-nam earned Best Supporting Actress for “The East Palace,” while Noh Jae-won took Best Supporting Actor for “Made in Korea.”
The association also unveiled this year’s Top 10 Films of the Year: “Possible Love,” “Good News,” “People and Meat,” “Salmokji: Whispering Water,” “The World of Love,” “Assassin(s),” “The King’s Warden,” “1980 Sabuk,” “Pavane,” and “Hope.” The winners were chosen from Korean films released between October 2025 and September 2026, selected through a preliminary round involving association members followed by a final judging meeting.
With two of the year’s most decorated directors — Lee Chang-dong and Na Hong-jin — splitting the top prizes, this year’s Youngpyeong Awards cemented “Possible Love” and “Hope” as the defining films of the Korean awards season so far.
