“THE King’s Affection” made a historic win as the first Korean drama to win an International Emmy Award by snagging the Best Telenovela during the award-giving body’s ceremony on November 22 (Manila time) at the Hilton Hotel in New York City.

Produced by KBS, The King’s Affectio” bested out entries such as “Nos Tempos Do Imperador” of Brazil, “Two Lives” of Spain and “You Are My Hero” of China.

Lee Geon Joon, director of KBS Drama Center, said in a statement, “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.”

“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 [entertainment] content,” he added.

Starring Park Eun Bin and SF9’s Rowoon together with Nam Yoon-su, Choi Byung-chan, Bae Yoon-kyung, and Jung Chae-yeon, The King’s Affection is set during the Joseon dynasty, at a time when twins were considered an ominous sign. It follows the secret life of a princess who is posing to be the Crown Prince after her fraternal twin is killed in childhood.

Prior to its International Emmy Award win, the 20-episode series has already reached massive global recognition as “The King’s Affection”topped in 12 countries on streaming platform Netflix. It also received recognitions at the 17th Seoul Drama Awards (International Competition Award) and 49th Korea Broadcasting Awards (Best Actress for Park Eun Bin).