IU and Lee Jung-jae Win Top Awards at 2025 K-Expo Seoul Ceremony
Seoul's biggest Korean Wave celebration wrapped up on August 28, honoring the stars who put K-culture on the global map. The 7th Newsis Hallyu Expo at Lotte Hotel recognized everyone from Netflix sensations to chart-topping musicians.
Netflix Stars Dominate Top Categories
IU took home the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award for her dual role in Netflix's "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (폭싹 속았수다). The series hit #1 on Netflix's global non-English TV rankings, with IU playing both Oh Ae-soon and Yang Geum-myeong across decades of Jeju Island life.
"I'm honored to receive this award," IU said. "I'll work harder so more people can experience K-culture."
Lee Jung-jae earned the Foreign Minister Award for "Squid Game" Seasons 2 & 3. Season 3 broke Netflix records by topping charts in 93 countries on day one - beating Season 2's 92-country record.
K-Pop Groups Make Billboard History
ATEEZ and musical writer Park Cheon-hu split the Seoul Mayor Award. ATEEZ made K-pop history with "Lemon Drop" hitting #69 on Billboard Hot 100 and "In Your Fantasy" reaching #68 - making them only the third K-pop boy group to crack America's main singles chart.
Park Cheon-hu became the first Korean to win Tony Awards for both Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score with "Maybe Happy Ending," which claimed six Tony Awards total including Best Musical.
"K-pop has evolved from a phenomenon to a genre," ATEEZ reflected after their win.
Rising Stars Get Recognition
Lee Jun-hyuk and Lee Joo-bin received National Assembly awards. Lee Jun-hyuk peaked with SBS's "My Perfect Secretary" while Lee Joo-bin rode high from "Queen of Tears" and "Crime City 4" success.
P1Harmony and STAYC claimed Seoul Metropolitan Council prizes. P1Harmony's latest album sold over 440,000 copies first week and hit Billboard 200 at #23. STAYC's "BBEBE" made Billboard's "25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2025" critics list.
New Fan-Voted Awards Launch
This year introduced Global Netizen Awards based purely on fan voting through Stardom app:
- OST Category: ZEROBASEONE's Zhang Hao won with "I Wanna Know" (1,518,857 votes)
- Next Icon: Group AHOF took first with 809,827 votes
- Trot Star: Lee Chan-won dominated with 315,363 votes
Zhang Hao thanked fans in Korean and English: "As a foreigner active in Korea, I hope Hallyu gets even more global love."
Other Notable Winners
Choo Young-woo (Seoul Tourism Foundation Award) emerged as a breakout star through "Mr. Queen" and Netflix's "Severe Trauma Center." Girl group Kiki joined him after becoming the first K-pop act to cover Ten Magazine USA pre-debut.
Hwang Ga-ram won the Hallyu Ballad Award for "I Am a Firefly," which topped Melon charts after 20 years of struggling as an unknown artist.
About the Event
The Newsis Hallyu Expo launched in 2019 to boost Korean Wave sustainability. Government ministries, Seoul city officials, and cultural agencies back the annual ceremony that streams live on YouTube.
Winners repeatedly emphasized their commitment to spreading Korean culture worldwide, showing how K-content has evolved from regional entertainment to global cultural force.
