AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk Takes Triple Crown at 23rd Korean Music Awards; Jennie Wins Double
Lee Chan-hyuk swept three awards including Song of the Year while Jennie claimed both K-pop categories at South Korea's most critically respected music ceremony.
South Korea's most prestigious music awards night delivered its verdict on Thursday, and AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk walked away as the undisputed winner of the 23rd Korean Music Awards (KMA), claiming three prizes - including the night's top honor, Song of the Year.
The ceremony, held on February 26 in Seoul and broadcast live via Melon and YouTube, is widely regarded as the Korean equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Unlike the fan-vote-driven spectacles that dominate the K-pop industry's awards calendar, the KMA is decided entirely by a panel of music critics, radio producers, academics, and industry professionals. Winning here means something different - it's a stamp of approval from the people who actually study and evaluate music for a living.
Lee Chan-hyuk's Sweep
Lee Chan-hyuk, the older half of the sibling duo AKMU, took home Song of the Year, Best Pop Album, and Best Pop Song - all for work drawn from his second solo album EROS, released in July 2025.
The album, lauded by critics for its unflinching exploration of mortality and the emotional weight of loss, produced the standout track "Endangered Love" (멸종위기사랑) - the song that dominated the evening. Though not the album's lead single, "Endangered Love" experienced a dramatic viral surge on domestic charts following a compelling performance by Lee at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in November 2025, a textbook case of artistry finding its audience on its own terms.
Lee delivered his acceptance speech through a characteristically witty pre-recorded video, drawing laughs from an audience that included nearly all of the evening's nominees.
EROS is Lee's first full-length solo release in two years and nine months, following his debut solo album Error in October 2022. The record is being celebrated not just for its thematic depth, but for demonstrating that an idol-born artist can compete - and win - at the highest level of critical recognition in Korea. Notably, AKMU parted ways with YG Entertainment in November 2025 after 12 years, and are reportedly in talks to establish an independent label, giving the win an added dimension of artistic independence.
Jennie's K-pop Double
BLACKPINK's Jennie claimed both K-pop category awards - Best K-Pop Album for RUBY and Best K-Pop Song for "like JENNIE" - marking a significant critical endorsement of her solo career. Unlike many idol-adjacent awards shows where commercial metrics quietly factor in, the KMA's process is purely evaluative. That makes Jennie's double win a genuine statement from Korea's critical establishment.
General Category Winners
The evening's other top honors went to artists largely unknown outside Korea's indie circuit, reflecting the KMA's consistent philosophy that artistic merit and commercial reach are separate things entirely.
- Album of the Year: Chudahye Chagis - Minority
- Artist of the Year: Han Roro (한로로)
- Rookie of the Year: Woo Hee-jun (우희준)
- Merit Award: Veteran band Song Golmae (송골매)
In the Rap & Hip-Hop categories, producer-rapper duo Sik-K and Lil Moshpit swept both album and song awards - the first time a pairing has achieved that feat in three years. The electronic music categories produced an emotional highlight when mentor KIRARA and student MELKI each took wins in their respective categories.
Lee Seung-yoon added a lighter moment to the proceedings by humorously announcing his own award, while the night also featured live performances - the first celebratory stage at the KMA in seven years, since the 16th edition.
What the Night Meant
The 23rd KMA underscored a tension that runs through Korean popular music: commercially dominant K-pop continues to struggle for full acceptance from the critical establishment, yet artists like Lee Chan-hyuk - who came up through idol training but write, produce, and direct their own creative vision - are forcing that establishment to widen its lens.
Lee Chan-hyuk's Song of the Year win was the only overlap between the idol world and the ceremony's top general categories. That rarity is precisely what made it resonate. For international audiences accustomed to fan-voting spectacles, the Korean Music Awards offer a rare, unfiltered view of what Korean music critics actually value - and Thursday night, they valued craft, authenticity, and emotional depth above all else.
