2023 KinoLights Awards: Celebrating the Best in Korean and International Films, Dramas, and Actors

‘12.12: The Day’ was selected as the most beloved Korean film and Song Hye Kyo was crowned the best actress of 2023

OTT integrated search app KinoLights announced the results of the 2023 KinoLights Awards on December 14th, revealing winners in 9 categories including movies, dramas, variety shows, and actors.

Selections were made among dramas and movies released from December 1st of 2022 to December 1st of 2023. Trend data, KinoLights user votes, and ratings were combined for the final results.

The current screening film that claimed the No.1 spot for Korean films this year is ‘12.12: The Day’ in its 4th week of release. It secured 66% of the votes among the 10 nominees in the user vote.

Disney-Pixar animated film ‘Elemental’ grabbed the No.1 spot for foreign films this year. Despite being released 6 months ago, it surpassed 7.23 million viewers.

In the K-drama category, Disney+ series dominated, with ‘Moving’ standing tall as the No.1 K-drama of the year. It previously set a record as the No.1 integrated content for eight consecutive weeks.

Disney+ series ‘Loki Season 2’ faced no competitors in the foreign TV series category, boasting a 68% vote and a KinoLights rating of 97%.

A new category for variety and documentary was introduced, with ‘Earth Arcade 2’ claiming 1st place, garnering huge popularity with the combination of Na PD and the cast.

The process of selecting this year’s best actors was intense, with 10 strong contenders in each category. In the Korean actor category, Lee Byung-hun, Hwang Jung-min, and Namgoong Min took over the Top 3.

Song Hye Kyo swept the Korean actress category, with her role in ‘The Glory’ earning her the No.1 crown.

In the foreign actor category, Cillian Murphy of ‘Oppenheimer’ and Margot Robbie of ‘Babylon’ each recorded over 70% in the vote and were selected as the best actors of 2023.

Here are the complete results of the 2023 KinoLights Awards.

Korean Movie of the Year

1. 12.12: The Day
2. Concrete Utopia
3. Smugglers

Foreign Movie of the Year

1. Elemental
2. Oppenheimer
3. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3

K-Drama of the Year

1. Moving
2. The Glory
3. Taxi Driver 2

Foreign Drama of the Year

1. Loki Season 2
2. Oshi no Ko
3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Variety/Documentary of the Year

1. Earth Arcade 2
2. Adventure by Accident 2
3. In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal

Korean Actor of the Year

1. Lee Byung-hun (Concrete Utopia)
2. Hwang Jung-min (12.12: The Day)
3. Namgoong Min (My Dearest)

Korean Actress of the Year

1. Song Hye Kyo (The Glory)
2. Kim Tae-ri (Revenant)
3. Yeom Hye-ran (The Glory, Mask Girl)

Foreign Actor of the Year

1. Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
2. Tom Hiddleston (Loki Season 2)
3. Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning PART ONE)

Foreign Actress of the Year

1. Margot Robbie (Babylon)
2. Nanoka Hara (Suzume)
3. Sakura Ando (Monster)

Source: dispatch