Grand Opening of K-POP Festival ‘Hanteo Music Awards 2025’ During Lunar New Year Break

The ‘33rd Hanteo Music Awards 2025’ (HMA 2025), organized and hosted by Hanteo Global—the company behind the world’s only real-time music chart, Hanteo Chart—grandly kicked off on February 15 at the KSPO DOME in Olympic Park. Designed for the Lunar New Year holiday, this event served as a platform where music fans and artists worldwide could connect through music, focusing on showcasing K-POP’s past, present, and future under one stage. A total of 23 groups performed on stage, creating a lineup that covered various genres and age groups. Artists such as ATEEZ, who are active globally, along with Kyuhyun, Lee Changsub, Lee Youngji, and LUCY—artists skilled in singing, performing, and rapping—were included in the lineup. Additionally, singers who have driven recent trot trends, including Lee Chan-won, Kim Hee-jae, Park Ji-hyun, and Son Tae-jin, joined forces to present multiple genres such as idol music, ballads, bands, trot, and hip-hop all in one place. Symbolic stages based on groups’ debut years were also prepared. The group PENTAGON, which celebrated its 10th anniversary, reunited for the first time in a long time on the HMA 2025 stage to deliver a tribute performance, drawing significant interest from not only PENTAGON’s fandom but also the industry upon this announcement. A special stage for Kyuhyun, who has established his own position beyond 20 years in the industry, was also arranged, adding more excitement to the awards ceremony. Yoon Jong-shin, who has been active for 37 years, attended the event to present awards, adding weight to the ceremony as a senior artist with a long career history. The award selection process centers around Hanteo Chart’s big data. HMA 2025 determined the winners by combining the data from the world’s only real-time music chart, Hanteo Chart, with direct votes from fans worldwide. The structure integrates objective statistical results with fan participation, and particular attention was paid to the outcome of the Grand Prize trophy, considered the pinnacle of the awards ceremony. The artist who will be named the icon of the era among those who have been active globally throughout 2025 and generated strong responses was revealed on this stage. Tiffany Young and Lee Chan-won served as hosts, guiding the flow of the awards ceremony with their hosting skills and wit. HMA 2025 was broadcast live worldwide via TikTok Live starting at 6 p.m., following a red carpet event at 3:30 p.m. on February 15. As it took place during the holiday break, this event is regarded as an opportunity to explore K-POP’s past, present, and future together.