Provided by Hanteo Global
‘Hanteo Music Awards 2025’ (Hanteo Music Awards 2025, hereinafter ‘HMA 2025’) is about one month away, and we looked into why this awards ceremony is being recognized by the entertainment industry and fans.
‘HMA 2025’ is a K-pop awards ceremony hosted by Hanteo Global, the operator of Hanteo Chart. This year it is co-hosted with the general programming channel MBN and is scheduled to be held on February 15, 2026, at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
# K-pop data built over 33 years… an awards ceremony boasting top credibility
Hanteo Global, the organizer of ‘HMA 2025’, publishes Hanteo Chart, the first music chart in Korea and the only real-time music chart in the world. Over the past 33 years, it has accumulated relevant data, advancing alongside the growth and history of the Korean music industry, and has come to hold symbolic status as the representative K-pop chart.
Not only various media outlets but also leading K-pop agencies in South Korea such as HYBE, SM, JYP, and YG release and formalize data based on the charts announced by Hanteo Chart. It is the one and only chart that has solidly built credibility and positioned itself as the industry standard over decades.
‘HMA 2025’ is an awards ceremony conducted on the foundation of this solid credibility. Based on Hanteo Chart data, nominees in each category are selected fairly and objectively. Fan voting, judging, and related indicator data are then combined to determine the final winners.
# Hallyu, Korea, Hanteo… adding meaning by being held in Seoul, the hub of K-pop
‘HMA’ has insisted on being held in Seoul, the center of K-pop, rather than overseas, maintaining its pride as a representative K-pop awards ceremony. Beginning with ‘HMA 2022’ at Jamsil Indoor Stadium, ‘HMA 2023’ was held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, ‘HMA 2024’ at Jangchung Gymnasium, and this time the venue has been confirmed as the K-pop mecca, KSPO Dome at Olympic Park, adding significance.
KSPO Dome is a leading large-scale performance venue in Korea and is regarded as the ‘performance hub’ where signature K-pop stages have continued. With ‘HMA’ entering KSPO Dome, the scale of the ceremony as well as the on-site audience experience and the completeness of the performances are all expected to be elevated.
In particular, through collaboration with MBN, a general programming channel celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the ceremony will strengthen both its authority and mass appeal, and through partnerships with a range of influential global fandom platforms it will broaden its global touchpoints.
# A bridge connecting artists and fans… awards prepared for fandom
‘HMA 2025’ is also preparing a variety of plans that K-pop fans can participate in, on top of data-based fairness.
In particular, it has established the only award for fandoms, the ‘WhosFandom Award’, to present awards to the fans who have helped K-pop artists grow. This highlights the role of Hanteo as a bridge connecting K-pop artists and global fandoms.
In addition, beyond an awards ceremony, the event is being prepared as a festival that artists and global fans can enjoy together, with special stages and various events being planned.
Meanwhile, ‘HMA 2025’ is currently conducting first-round voting for the ‘Domestic Popularity Award’ and ‘Global Popularity Award’ together with the ‘WhosFandom Award’. Voting in these categories is available on Whosfan, Mubeat, and Fancast, and details can be found on the official Hanteo Music Awards website.
