The 2025 New York Festivals Korea-National Brand Awards (The 2025 NYF K-NBA) ceremony took place at the Grand Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea, on April 2nd. Celebrating its 16th year, the NYF K-NBA is a prestigious global brand award hosted by New York Festivals, recognized as one of the world's top three advertising festivals.

The 2025 NYF K-NBA discovers and selects the most valuable and competitive brands in Korea using the self-developed ‘National Brand Competitiveness Index (NCI)’ measurement model. In 2025, a total of 74 awards were given, including 50 in the Industrial Division, 20 in the Place Division, and 4 in the Culture Division.

Ellen Smyth, CEO & Owner of New York Festivals, gives an opening speech.

Ellen Smyth, CEO & Owner of New York Festivals, and Scott Rose, President of New York Festivals Advertising Awards, visited Korea to attend the awards ceremony. Ms. Smyth said in her opening speech, "Anything is everything. What we say and do matters. In today’s ever-changing culture, I continue to learn about what it takes to redefine that success. And I want to share what I have learned with all of you. NYF K-NBA is not just an award, it is a testament to your relentless spirit and your commitment to excellence. You have proven that hard work and unwavering dedication have its rewards.” 

And, Yoon Eun-Key, the chairman of the awards ceremony, said, “Each brand’s award is the result of the continuous efforts and vision of the management entities,” and added, “I hope that this award will help the Korean national brand leap forward as a global power brand."

Ellen Smyth, CEO & Owner of New York Festivals, poses for a photo with Kim Young-Hwan, Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do, who was honored with the 2025 NYF K-NBA Hall of Fame.

The 2025 NYF K-NBA Festivals Hall of Fame went to Kim Young-Hwan, the Governor. Governor Kim entered politics in 1996 and served as a member of the National Assembly, Minister of Science and ICT, and Governor of Chungbuk, and was recognized for his long-term contributions to the creation and development of the value of the Korean national brand.

The winners include brands that are consistently highly rated by domestic and international consumers. The winners of consecutive awards include Lotte World Adventure, DAWN 808 for 16 consecutive years, Kia Members, KB Financial Group, Buyeo-Gun 'GOODTRAE' for 14 consecutive years, LG U+ Home Service, LG OLED TV, Binggrae 'TOGETHER', Goesan-Gun Environment-friendly Organic Farming City, Hongcheon NEULPUREUM HANWOO for 13 consecutive years, LG TROMM, Visang Education VISANG for 12 consecutive years, SiwonSchool for 11 consecutive years, and LG WHISEN, Lotte Hi-Mart, Yeosu-International Marine Tourism City for 10 consecutive years.

KB Financial Group, SK Securities, NH Investment & Securities, and DB Insurance were selected as the best brands in each category, showing the strength of the financial sector.

There are also cases where multiple brands from one company took first place in their respective fields. LG Electronics stood out as the best brand in three categories: TV, washing machine, and air conditioner. Dongwon F&B won the grand prize in the food industry and Korean HMR (home meal replacement) categories, and Daesang won Food Joint Brand and kimchi category, Hite Jinro received the highest rating in the soju and beer category, Binggrae received the highest rating in the ice cream and processed milk category, and CJ CheilJedang received the highest rating in the instant rice and frozen dumpling category. Goesan-Gun was selected in the Environment-friendly organic farming city and pepper category.

New brands that entered the competition this year include Hyundai Duty Free, THE HYUNDAI, CUCKOO, Dongwon F&B YANGBAN, Dreamus Company FLO, CJ CheilJedang HETBAHN, Woongjin Think Big, CheilJedang BIBIGO DUMPLINGS, Netmarble, and Jeonbuk Bank.

In the cultural group category, the Grey Youth Choir (Choir Leader Yoon Hak-Soo) was selected, and in the work category, the Seoul Metropolitan Theater Company (Director Koh Sun-Woong)’s ‘TOONGSO WHISTLES’ was selected. The ‘Grey Youth Choir’ was founded in 2011 and has performed on global stages such as the UN headquarters as well as in Austria, Uzbekistan, the US, Japan, and New Zealand. Through this, it was evaluated that it contributed to raising Korea's cultural status and activating international exchange. The play ‘TOONGSO WHISTLES’ depicts the turbulent separation and dramatic reunion of a family during the Joseon Dynasty. In the individual category, modern dancer Ahn Eun-Me and fashion designer LIE Sang-Bong were selected.

Winners of the 2025 New York Festivals Korea-National Brand Awards.

The Korea National Brand Awards discovers and selects the most valuable and competitive brands in Korea using the self-developed 'National Brand Competitiveness Index (NCI)' measurement model. This year, the index was calculated based on the value of approximately 1,900 tangible and intangible brands owned by approximately 780 companies and local governments.

All 2025 award winning works can be viewed on the site: www.nyfknba.com