🌍 Korea News & Trends

The “2025 Korea Grand Music Awards (2025 KGMA)” will be held on November 14–15 at Inspire Arena in Incheon.

The organizing committee announced its first lineup, featuring BOYNEXTDOOR, Stray Kids, IVE, ATEEZ, Kiss of Life, and FIFTY FIFTY (in alphabetical order), signaling a grand K-pop festival.

The lineup includes global achievers such as Stray Kids, who hold the record for the most No.1s on the Billboard 200; IVE, who performed at Lollapalooza for two consecutive years; and ATEEZ, who made back-to-back entries on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rising groups like BOYNEXTDOOR, Kiss of Life, and FIFTY FIFTY will also join, presenting performances that span different generations.

The committee plans to reveal additional second and third lineup announcements. The awards ceremony will spotlight not only K-pop but also achievements in other genres, including bands and trot. Hosting the two-day event will be Red Velvet’s Irene, Kiss of Life’s Natty, and actress Nam Ji-hyun.

The Netflix animation K-pop Demon Hunters OST track “Golden” has secured the No.1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart for the third week in a row.

Following Stray Kids’ album KARMA reaching No.1 on the Billboard 200, this marks the first time in about five years since BTS’s BE and “Life Goes On” that K-pop has simultaneously dominated both the singles and albums charts.

During the latest tracking week, “Golden” racked up 35.3 million streams (+4%), 19.7 million radio airplay impressions (+21%), and 9,000 sales (+11%), maintaining its explosive momentum. Its 10-week chart run shows a steady climb: 81 → 23 → 6 → 4 → 2 → 2 → 1 → 2 → 1 → 1. This achievement makes “Golden” the third K-pop song to hold No.1 on the Hot 100 for at least three weeks, following BTS’s “Butter” (10 weeks) and “Dynamite” (3 weeks).

This week’s Hot 100 top 10 also features four tracks from the OST, with “Your Idol” at No.4, “Soda Pop” at No.5, and “How It’s Done” at No.9, further showcasing the soundtrack’s global dominance.

The global success of Netflix’s animation K-POP DEMON HUNTERS is directly boosting South Korea’s tourism market.

According to global travel platform Klook, bookings for Korea-related travel products surged after the film’s release, with both traffic and reservations rising even during the off-season months of June and July. In particular, K-pop-related bookings increased by 80% compared to pre-release levels, with significant growth from neighboring countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Among them, the “K-pop Idol Styling Experience” rose 200%, while dance classes increased 40%, reflecting the film’s popularity.

Interest in the traditional Korean bath culture of Seshin (exfoliation), featured in the movie, has also grown. Reservations for Seshin experiences increased by 11% overall, while sauna passes in Seoul’s Seodaemun and Jongno districts rose by 57% and 15%, respectively. In response, Klook announced plans to launch more diverse Seshin experience products, such as “one-person Seshin shops.”

The popularity of K-POP DEMON HUNTERS  is also evident on the ground. An operator of a K-pop dance class said, “We’ve recently received more inquiries from people wanting to learn songs from the film, so we structured our September classes mainly around K-POP DEMON HUNTERS.” They added, “We’re also seeing a noticeable increase in younger customers, especially under teens.

---