Jennie, Stray Kids & G-Dragon Shine at 40th Golden Disc Awards

• Jennie, Stray Kids, and G-Dragon won the top Daesangs at the 40th Golden Disc Awards.
• The event expanded its grand-prize system, impacting how top K-pop awards are recognized.
• Global livestreaming, sales-led metrics, combined with expert judging, emphasized the awards' international reach.

BLACKPINK's Jennie, Stray Kids, and BIGBANG’s G-Dragon ruled the 40th Golden Disc Awards held on Jan 10, ushering in a new era for K-pop awards with an extended Daesang (grand-prize) slate and a focus on the worldwide market. The 40th Golden Disc Awards ceremony, held at the Taipei Dome, celebrated songs released between early Nov 2024 and late Oct 2025. It was live-streamed across Asia and will be replayed later on JTBC networks. 

According to the organizers, HLL JoongAng (part of the JoongAng Group), the winners of the awards were determined using a blend of statistics and quantitative evaluation. This comprised music sales and digital usage through Nov 30, 2025, which accounted for 60%, and expert reviews accounting for 40%. The judging panel of the awards consisted of Golden Disc Awards executive committee members, music journalists, music show producers, pop music critics, and representatives from the domestic distribution sector.

Stray Kids Claim Album of the Year (Daesang)

Stray Kids won Album of the Year (Daesang) for KARMA, their fourth full-length LP and one of 2025's bestsellers. The group’s album also recorded triple-million first-week sales, securing an Album Bonsang award as well. Notably, Stray Kids achieved this milestone seven years after it received the accolade of Best New Artist in 2019. 

As reported by Korea JoongAng Daily, members of the group said, “Winning a main prize was our goal and our dream, but we never imagined the day would come when we would be giving an acceptance speech for the grand prize.” The members further congratulated their STAY fans and promised to “set even more meaningful records together.” 

G-Dragon Wins Digital Song of the Year (Daesang)

In the digital category, G-Dragon's HOME SWEET HOME, featuring Taeyang and Daesung, won Song of the Year (Daesang). While unable to attend the ceremony in-person, the BIGBANG member delivered a video message that he plans to return this year with fellow members, teasing a comeback, while also highlighting one of his biggest solo grand prize wins at the event. 

G-Dragon also won Best Album (Bonsang) and Best Digital Song (Bonsang) in the award ceremony. Furthermore, industry reports cite that his 2025 Übermensch world tour sold out stadiums all over the world, and his song HOME SWEET HOME also debuted at number one on the Circle Digital Chart shortly after its release, showcasing his popularity despite his prolonged absence.

Jennie Takes Artist of the Year (Daesang) in Triple-Win Night

Jennie was awarded the newly minted Artist of the Year Daesang, which was specially created for the 40th anniversary. Jennie also won in the Digital Song Bonsang category for her solo single Like Jennie and the Global Impact Award, thus receiving three awards in total. 

Simultaneously, Jennie also performed on stage, grabbing maximum attention from the audience. Dressed entirely in black with red accents, she performed Filter, Damn Right, and Like Jennie with dancers dressed in red, earning great applause from the audience.

In her award acceptance speech, Jennie also thanked the dancers who had practiced with her every day for the past two months in preparation for this event, as well as she reflected on her achievement. "In a year that marks the 10th anniversary of my debut, I feel incredibly happy to be closer to my dream," she told the audience. Additionally, Jennie’s co-member Rosé also secured a Digital Song Bonsang for her song toxic till the end, thus establishing the supremacy of the girl group.

Winners List Highlighting K-pop’s Commercial and Global Reach

Aside from the Daesangs, the program presented a comprehensive list of awards recognizing both commercial performance and industry ranking. Some of them are listed below:

• Best Album Bonsangs were received by ten acts, including IVE, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, SEVENTEEN, and TXT.
• Best Digital Song Bonsangs were received by artists such as BLACKPINK, aespa, BOYNEXTDOOR, and LE SSERAFIM.
• Rookie of the Year: ALLDAY PROJECT and CORTIS.
• Most Popular Artist: BTS’ Jin and Hearts2Hearts.
• Best Group: MONSTA X.
• Naver AI Choice: BOYNEXTDOOR.
• Next Generation Award: KiiiKiii.
• Cosmopolitan Artist: IVE.

The event, hosted by Sung Si-kyung and Moon Ga-young, also featured approximately 18 acts by groups such as Stray Kids, Monsta X, Jennie, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, ZEROBASEONE, BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, NCT WISH, izna, KiiiKiii, ARrC, ALLDAY PROJECT, CLOSE YOUR EYES, ZO ZAZZ, and CORTIS, while celebrating K-pop's growing presence in global music markets. Notably, prominent Korean actors Song Joong Ki, Byeon Woo Seok, and Ahn Hyo Seop served as event presenters.