On February 15, the 33rd Hanteo Music Awards unfolded at Seoul’s KSPO Dome, recognizing K-pop releases from the 2025 cycle. Four grand prizes were confirmed, with Stray Kids claiming Album of the Year for KARMA, ATEEZ receiving Artist of the Year, and G-Dragon securing Song of the Year for Home Sweet Home featuring Taeyang and Daesung. Meanwhile, ENHYPEN earned Performance of the Year.
Following the announcement, discussion spread across online communities, as recap posts attracted criticism from some viewers who highlighted the absence of any female acts among the top award holders, creating a divided response around the final lineup.
“Female idols carried 4th gen on their back but no win for any of them ? lol is this a joke?,” an X user commented.
Many are asking where the female K-pop idols are, with some describing the awards as “misogynistic.”
Others drew comparisons to the D Awards, pointing out that no female group won a Daesang there as well.
Hanteo Awards lineup, hosts, and voting system explained
Hanteo Music Awards results are calculated through a combined formula using cumulative global sales data, international fan voting, and judge evaluations, thereby shaping the final selections. This year, Tiffany Young and Lee Chan-won hosted the ceremony, pairing a Girls’ Generation member and actress with a prominent modern trot vocalist.
The organizer first revealed performers on January 27 and expanded the lineup over the following weeks, adding artists from multiple K-pop generations and styles. Hanteo began operations in Seoul in 1993 as a real-time album tracking platform measuring global Korean music sales. Its charts are widely referenced for daily, weekly, and monthly rankings across international markets.
The company later hosted its first in-person Hanteo Music Awards in 2023 to mark its 30th anniversary. Besides the Bonsangs, there are other award sections such as Main and Popularity Awards, Global Continent Awards, Special/Genre Awards, and Recognition Awards. In total, the ceremony features 30+ award categories across all sections each year.
Hanteo Music Awards also faced “rigging” allegations following what fans called a snub of j-hope. Critics argued that the final results did not align with the voting data. They noted that despite leading fan polls by a wide margin in categories such as Best Hip Hop, he did not win. Meanwhile, other artists with significantly fewer votes secured the award. This fueled claims that internal scoring or attendance may have carried more weight than public voting.
Edited by Shreya Jha
