[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] SBS held its 2026 First-Half Awards Ceremony, where actors Heo Nam-joon and Yoo Yeon-seok, as well as comedian Kim Tae-kyun, were honored with awards.

The “2026 SBS First Half Awards Ceremony,” held on the 2nd in the public hall on the 13th floor of the SBS Mokdong headquarters in Seoul, was graced by the presence of SBS President Bang Man-shin, along with cast members and production staff who have made significant contributions to SBS’s content competitiveness.
In the drama category, actor Heo Nam-jun and writer Kang Hyun-joo from the recently concluded Friday-Saturday drama *Brave New World* received awards. Starting with a viewership rating of 4.1% in its first episode, *Brave New World* set a new series high by recording 11.4% in its finale. Notably, according to Netflix’s official site, Tudum, the series remained popular globally, ranking second on Netflix’s “Global Top 10 Non-English Shows” weekly viewership chart (June 1–9) even in its fifth week of broadcast.
Heo Nam-joon expressed his gratitude, saying, “First of all, I’m so grateful to have received this precious award.” He continued with a lighthearted remark, “At our first meeting, the writer promised, ‘Once this show airs, I’ll make sure you can’t walk around outside,’ and I’m truly grateful that she actually made it so I can’t walk around.”
Writer Kang Hyun-joo said, “It’s an honor to have my debut work aired on SBS,” adding, “During the one and a half months the drama aired, I’ll always remember viewers saying, ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed waiting a whole week to watch a drama.’”
She also added, “I’m both surprised and grateful to have received this award so suddenly. I’ll keep writing hard and hope to see you all again soon.”
In the variety show category, actor Yoo Yeon-seok, star of *Whenever I Get a Chance*, received the award. Yoo Yeon-seok expressed his affection, saying, “This year started with *Whenever I Get a Chance*, followed by *God’s Law Firm*, and I’m about to begin filming Season 5 of *Whenever I Get a Chance*,” adding, “I’ve been filming nonstop, almost like an SBS employee, so I think that’s why they gave me an award at this internal ceremony.”
Yoo Yeon-seok said, “Earlier, actor Heo Nam-joon mentioned that he’s become so popular he can’t even walk around anymore, but starting in July, I’ll be walking around under the scorching sun to spread positive energy,” raising expectations for his activities in the second half of the year.
In the radio category, the award went to Kim Tae-kyun, DJ of Power FM’s “Escape at 2 PM: Cultwo Show.” Kim Tae-kyun, who has hosted the program for 20 years, remarked, “Looking at my list of awards, I’ve previously received the Production Award, Excellence Award, Grand Prize, and Incentive Award—and now I’ve even received the Special Award.”
Kim Tae-kyun continued, “I vividly remember starting my first live broadcast on May 1, 2006, right here in this 13th-floor public hall,” adding, “I’ve fulfilled my lifelong dream of becoming a radio DJ and am happily broadcasting every day.”
He continued, “It’s not easy to maintain the number one spot in listener ratings in this fiercely competitive radio market, but we’re always doing our best,” and drew laughter by jokingly asking SBS President Bang Man-shin, “President, are you watching?”
At the awards ceremony that day, writer Im Chae-yoon of “Beopryun Road: The Monk and His Guest,” veterinarians Park Soon-seok and Cha Jin-won of “TV Animal Farm,” and writer Shin Yu-jae of “Pyeon Sang-wook’s News Direct” also received special awards and were met with loud applause.