Korea Minting Corp. commemorates K-drama achievements in collectible medals

The Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp. has unveiled the first release in its new "K-Drama Awards Collection" series, a project designed to commemorate the achievements and cultural value of acclaimed Korean drama series through collectible medals.

The state-run minting agency, in collaboration with Studio Dragon, will release card-type gold and silver medals inspired by the Tving original "Chwisabyeong Jeonseol-i Doeda" (roughly, "Becoming a Legendary Army Cook") on Thursday.

The "K-Drama Awards Collection" translates the artistic merit and cultural achievements of K-dramas — both at home and abroad — into commemorative medals. The initiative aims to extend the emotional impact and popularity of video content beyond a single moment by turning it into a physical cultural product that fans can own. The minting corp. said it plans to continue the series with a range of other K-drama titles.

Chosen as the collection's inaugural subject, "Chwisabyeong Jeonseol-i Doeda" — produced by Studio Dragon — is adapted from a popular Naver webtoon of the same name. The drama follows a protagonist who enlists as an army cook and navigates life on a military base. Since its release in the first half of 2026, the series has drawn wide attention and established itself as a hit.

The drama drew the highest number of paid subscribers within its first week of release among all series on Tving over the past three years, and views of the original webtoon surged 61-fold after the drama's premiere. The series also swept three awards at the 5th Cheongnyong Series Awards, taking home best drama, best supporting actor and best original soundtrack.

The drama's broad cultural impact, its potential for content expansion rooted in the source material, and its recognition at major awards ceremonies all made it a fitting choice to launch the collection. The medals capture the work's journey — from web novel to webtoon to drama series — as well as the fandom's enthusiasm, so fans can hold on to the memories and achievements the series created.

Released under an official licensing agreement with Studio Dragon, the collection comprises two pieces: a card-type gold medal (Au999, 1g) and a card-type silver medal (Ag999, 5g). Both are designed around the smile badge and cook's hat associated with the protagonist Kang Seong-jae, played by actor Park Ji-hoon. The gold medal's case features the drama's official poster artwork, while the silver medal's case draws on the "quest status window," a key visual motif from the series.

"We have infused the product with the drama's distinct personality and charm so that fans can hold on to the emotions the series gave them," President Seong Chang-hun said. "We plan to keep introducing new cultural products by combining various K-content properties with the minting corp.'s technology."

The card-type medals will be available for purchase starting Thursday on the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp.'s official online shopping mall.