The King's Affection Becomes The First K-Drama To Win An Emmy Award

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The King's Affection for winning the prestigious Emmy Award in New York! The drama took home the award, Best Telenovela, at the 50th International Emmys.

This is the first time that a K-drama won an Emmy award. The King's Affection beat other nominees in the category, “Nos Tempos do Imperador” from Brazil, “Two Lives” from Spain, and “You Are My Hero” from China.

The King's Affection has 20 episodes and originally aired on October 11, 2021, to December 14, 2021, on the KBS2 television network.

Park Eun-bin as Crown Prince Lee Hwi and Rowoon as Jung Ji-woon in The King's Affection

The 50th International Emmy Awards honors excellence in television programs produced and aired originally outside the U.S., and non-English languages between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. The award ceremony was presented by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS), and held at the New York Hilton Hotel in New York City, on November 21, 2022.

Following the win, Lee Geon Joon, the head of KBS Drama Center, said, “I’m so happy that The King’s Affection won the first-ever International Emmy as a Korean drama, and it’s a pleasure to have the potential of Korean dramas as a whole receive recognition.” He added, “I feel an immense sense of responsibility during this time when K-content is receiving so much love around the world. We will do our best so that KBS dramas can play a large role in maintaining the potential of Korean content.”

Park Eun-bin and Rowoon paired in The King's Affection

The King's Affection was bannered by Park Eun-bin (who recently gained global recognition for her excellent portrayal in Extraordinary Atty Woo), Rowoon (a member of the K-pop group, SF9), Nam Yoon-su, Choi Byung-chan, Bae Yoon-kyung, and Jung Chae-yeon. The story was based on Lee So-young's manhwa Yeonmo.

Here's the plot summary:

The King's Affection is a historical drama set during the Joseon dynasty, at a time when giving birth to twins was considered an ominous sign of an impending disaster.

When the Crown Princess Consort gives birth to twins - a boy and a girl, an order is sent to kill the girl. To save her, she is secretly taken out of the palace.

A few years later, the girl, now grown up and named Dam-yi (portrayed by Park Eun-bin) returns to the palace to work as a maid.

But her twin brother, Lee Hwi, loses his life through a case of mistaken identity. The Crown Princess Consort, having recognized Dam-yi as her daughter, persuades her to assume Lee Hwi's identity.

Dam-yi agrees and pretends to be the Crown Prince Lee Hwi. Although she distances herself from everybody, Lee Hwi (Dam-yi) starts developing feelings for Jung Ji-woon (played by Rowoon), who comes from a noble family.