Breaking
USUS air travel schedule should recover from ground stop by the end of Sunday, FAA saysDEAttendance record in the Revierderby – “Dortmund girls” meet Schalke 04USNFL odds, picks: Brinson's Week 10 best bets, player props, anytime touchdown scorers for Sunday's matchupsINTLDemocrat wins Alaska governor’s seat for first time in nearly 30 yearsITGoodbye to Claudette Soares, voice of Brazilian bossa novaUSWhere to watch Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss: TV channel, stream, start time as FAA stop forces SEC clash to SundayINTLUS suggested Ukraine cede parts of Donbas to Russia to become part of NATOKRBTS wins 3 awards, Espa wins 2… Grand prize winners on the first day of ‘MMA2026’BRCable change caused suspension that canceled more than 16 thousand flights in the USAESThe bells ring for 'Father Roberto' in Chiclayo, his "faithful town": "He is now part of us"USUS air travel schedule should recover from ground stop by the end of Sunday, FAA saysDEAttendance record in the Revierderby – “Dortmund girls” meet Schalke 04USNFL odds, picks: Brinson's Week 10 best bets, player props, anytime touchdown scorers for Sunday's matchupsINTLDemocrat wins Alaska governor’s seat for first time in nearly 30 yearsITGoodbye to Claudette Soares, voice of Brazilian bossa novaUSWhere to watch Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss: TV channel, stream, start time as FAA stop forces SEC clash to SundayINTLUS suggested Ukraine cede parts of Donbas to Russia to become part of NATOKRBTS wins 3 awards, Espa wins 2… Grand prize winners on the first day of ‘MMA2026’BRCable change caused suspension that canceled more than 16 thousand flights in the USAESThe bells ring for 'Father Roberto' in Chiclayo, his "faithful town": "He is now part of us"
Newsgather
All StoriesWorldSportsFinanceTechScienceHealthCultureClimatePoliticsSpace
BackBTS wins 3 awards, Espa wins 2… Grand prize winners on the first day of ‘MMA2026’
BTS wins 3 awards, Espa wins 2… Grand prize winners on the first day of ‘MMA2026’
BREAKING
연합뉴스10 minutes agoCulture3 min readSouth KoreaView original

BTS wins 3 awards, Espa wins 2… Grand prize winners on the first day of ‘MMA2026’

BTS won 3 awards, Espa won 2… 18,000 viewers on the first day

BTSEspaMMA2026

Quick Look

  • Groups BTS and Aespa won the 'Album of the Year' and 'Global-K Artist of the Year' grand prizes, respectively, on the first day of MMA2026 held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 14th.
  • BTS won 3 awards, Aespa won 2 awards, and the audience on the first day was 18,000.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

MMA2026 is the 18th Melon Music Awards, and was held for two days for the first time this year, expanding its size. On the first day, 18,000 spectators visited the event venue.

Font size

Groups BTS and Aespa became the main characters of the first day's grand prize at the popular music awards ceremony 'MMA2026' (2026 Melon Music Awards).

BTS and Aespa received the grand prizes, 'Kakao Bank Album of the Year' and 'Global-K Artist of the Year', respectively, at the 18th 'MMA 2026' held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 14th and hosted by music platform Melon.

BTS won three awards, including ‘Kakao Bank Album of the Year’, ‘Stage of the Year’, and ‘Global Top 10’.

Their 5th full-length album 'ARIRANG', released in March, went straight to #1 on Melon's 'Top 100' within an hour of release with the title song 'SWIM', and all 14 songs were on the chart.

BTS did not attend the awards ceremony. Lee Young-ae, who came on stage as an award presenter, introduced, "This is the best album of the year, creating a perfect world rather than a single song shining in a sea of ​​countless music."

On this day, Kim Hyun-jung, vice president of BTS' agency Big Hit Music, received the Best Producer Award.

Espa became the first winner of this year's new award, 'Global-K Artist of the Year'. They won two awards in the ‘Global Top 10’.

Member Winter said, “It’s always thanks to My (fandom name) that we can stand in such a glorious position.” Karina said, “I hope you look forward to Espa in the future as well.”

On this day, Resene won three awards, including 'Global Top 10', a special award for 'Trend', and a popularity award for 'Kakao Bank Everyone's Star' selected by fan voting.

Hearts to Hearts also won three awards, winning ‘Top 10’, ‘Global Top 10’, and ‘Global Impact Artist’.

I.O.I, who reunited in May to celebrate their 10th anniversary and received much love with 'Suddenly', won two awards, receiving 'Top 10' and 'Best Music Style'.

'MMA2026' was held for two days for the first time this year and expanded in size. According to Melon, 18,000 audiences visited the event on the first day. 'MMA2026' continues the second day of the event at the same location on the 15th.

The following is a list of winners by category on the first day.

▲ Kakao Bank Album of the Year: BTS ‘Arirang’

▲ Global-K Artist of the Year: Espa

▲ Top 10: Hearts to Hearts, I.O.I.

▲ Global Top 10: Aespa, G-Dragon, Resene, Rise, BTS, Hearts to Hearts

▲ Best Solo Female: Choi Yena

▲ Best Solo Male: Lim Young-woong

▲ Best OST: Minseok Kim (Melomance) – ‘Love Language’

▲ Best Pop Artist: Bruno Mars

▲ Stage of the Year: BTS

▲ Best Performance Male: ATEEZ, Rise

▲ Best music style: I.O.I

▲ Global Impact Artist: Tours, Hearts to Hearts

▲ Global Rising Artist: Tuid

▲ J-Pop Favorite Artist: Hana

▲ Hot trend: Resene, ATEEZ

▲ Best Producer: Big Hit Music Vice President Kim Hyun-jung

▲ Kakao Bank Everyone’s Star: Resene

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • The second day of MMA2026 is scheduled to continue at the same location on the 15th.

    Very likely · Within days

Open Questions

  • What is the list of winners and main events on the second day (15th)?
  • What is the specific reason why BTS did not attend the awards ceremony?

Related Topics

BTS
PeopleEspaYoungae LeeHyunjeong Kim
Organizationsmelonbig hit musicKakao Bank
PlacesSeoulGocheok Sky Dome
TopicsEspaMMA2026Melon Music AwardsGocheok Sky Domealbum of the yearGlobal-K Artist of the Year
This article was originally published by 연합뉴스.

Related Stories

Go Kyung-pyo's drunk driving sparks a firestorm in the broadcasting world... Editing of ‘Nolmuda’, ‘Sixth Sense’, etc.
Urgent·

Go Kyung-pyo's drunk driving sparks a firestorm in the broadcasting world... Editing of ‘Nolmuda’, ‘Sixth Sense’, etc.

After actor Go Kyung-pyo crashed into a garbage truck while driving while drunk, programs he appeared in such as MBC's 'What Do You Do When You Hang Out?', tvN's 'The Sixth Sense: B-Side', and 'Amazing Saturday' decided to edit the content as much as possible before airing it. Go Kyung-pyo, who debuted in 2010, has appeared in many dramas and entertainment shows, including 'Reply 1988'.

연합뉴스
2 min read
Endless confusion as to whether it is real or fake... ‘Roscoe’, a play that mixes time and space
BREAKING·

Endless confusion as to whether it is real or fake... ‘Roscoe’, a play that mixes time and space

The play 'Rosco', directed by Ukasz Tvarkovsky, had its domestic premiere at the LG Signature Hall at the LG Arts Center in Seoul on the 13th. This work, inspired by the Mark Rothko forgery scandal, explores the boundaries between real and fake, original and reproduction through media production that crosses stage and screen, and will be performed until the 15th.

연합뉴스
4 min read
'I'm under arrest' blowing the whistle, 'Bad' twisting the pronunciation... K-pop you have to hear to hear it
Developing·

'I'm under arrest' blowing the whistle, 'Bad' twisting the pronunciation... K-pop you have to hear to hear it

K-pop's 'Killing Part', which features anomalous sounds such as whistles and pronunciation variations, has emerged as a box office formula this fall along with the spread of short-form content. Songs such as I'll Arrest You, Bad, Nion, and Red Red have remained at the top of the Melon Top 100 chart for a long time, showing changes in production trends in the music market.

연합뉴스
3 min read
[Yulgok-ro] A comeback for the first time in 13 years that made ordinary people cry
Developing·

[Yulgok-ro] A comeback for the first time in 13 years that made ordinary people cry

BESTie, a four-member girl group that debuted in 2013 and disbanded in 2018, is making a comeback with 'Terms of Dating' released 13 years ago, rising to the top of domestic and international charts. The members announced their reunion for the first time in eight years and released a new choreography video and appeared on music broadcasts. The revival of those who were disbanded due to debt while they were unknown is giving young people hope for 'human victory'.

연합뉴스
3 min read
Foot traffic to the movie theater is ‘popping’… The average number of viewers per day this month is the lowest this year
Culture·

Foot traffic to the movie theater is ‘popping’… The average number of viewers per day this month is the lowest this year

From November 1 to 13, the average daily attendance at movie theaters was 132,000, the lowest level this year. The off-season is deepening due to the absence of blockbuster foreign films and a decrease in the number of Korean films produced, and the situation is expected to continue until the release of blockbuster films in December.

연합뉴스
4 min read
More on this topicBTS