23rd Korean Music Awards

23rd Korean Music Awards
23rd Korean Music Awards
	Official logo
Date	February 26, 2026
Location	Seoul, South Korea
Most nominations	Effie (6)
Website	koreanmusicawards.com
Television/radio coverage
Network	Melon ; YouTube

The 23rd edition of the Korean Music Awards will be held in Seoul, South Korea on February 26, 2026. Hosted by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, the ceremony recognized the best music released in South Korea between December 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025.^[1]

Unlike other South Korean music awards, the Korean Music Awards are based on musical achievement rather than record sales. Winners are determined by the Korean Music Awards Selection Committee, which comprises music critics, radio show producers, academics, and other music industry professionals. Nominations were announced on February 5, 2026, through its official website and YouTube channel.^[2]

Hyperpop musician Effie is the most nominated artist with six nominations.^[3]

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.^[4]

General field

Album of the Year Effie – Pullup to Busan 4 More Hyper Summer It's Gonna Be a Fuckin Movie Huijun Woo – Pumping of Heart is Torturing Jennie – Ruby Kwon Tree – The Fragrance of Life Lee Chan-hyuk – Eros	Song of the Year Chudahye Chagis – "Heosse!" Huijun Woo – "Spacious House" Jennie – "Like Jennie" Lee Chan-hyuk – "Endangered Love" Nmixx – "Blue Valentine"
Musician of the Year Effie Hanroro Jennie Lee Chan-hyuk Nmixx	Rookie of the Year AllDay Project Gongwon Huijun Woo Peach Truck Hijackers Rakunelama

Genre categories

Best K-pop Album Chaeyoung – Lil Fantasy Vol. 1 Jennie – Ruby Mark – The Firstfruit Nmixx – Blue Valentine Nmixx – Fe3O4: Forward	Best K-pop Song AllDay Project – "Famous" Hearts2Hearts – "Focus" Jennie – "Like Jennie" Le Sserafim – "Spaghetti" (featuring J-Hope) Nmixx – "Blue Valentine"
Best Pop Album Hyelyn Joo – Stereo Lee Chan-hyuk – Eros Lim Hyun-jung – Extraordinary Song So-hee – Re:5 Yerin Baek – Flash and Core	Best Pop Song Hwasa – "Good Goodbye" Jowall – " Your Love as My Pretext" (featuring Haepa) Lee Chan-hyuk – "Endangered Love" Lim Hyun-jung – "The Road to Me Is Beautiful" Yerin Baek – "Mirror"
Best Rock Album Green Flame Boys – Greenroof Peach Truck Hijackers – Peach Truck Hijackers Wah Wah Wah & Noridogam – UBUBU YB – Odyssey	Best Rock Song Bae Cheol-soo – "Ieodo Island (Parangdo Island)" Green Flame Boys – "True Heart" Lee Seung-yoon – "PunKanon" Uinone – "Apocalypse" Wah Wah Wah & Noridogam – "Uncertainty"
Best Alternative Rock Album Gogohawk – Vol. 07 Hanroro – Jamong Salgu Club Huijun Woo – Pumping of Heart is Torturing Say Sue Me – Time is Not Yours Shin In Ryu – Shining Strike	Best Alternative Rock Song Hanroro – "Goodbye, My Summer" Huijun Woo – "Spacious House" Jungwoo – "The Embers" Noridogam – "Truthbuster" Shin In Ryu – "Attack!"
Best Electronic Album Bojvck – UnderNationWide Effie – E Kirara – Kirara Necta – Seoul Bizarre Yetsuby – 4EVA	Best Electronic Song Effie – "Open Ur Eyes" Kirara – "Music" (with Sunwoo Jung-a) Melki – "Body Break" Naojusung – "Eternal Sunshine" (featuring Meaningful Stone) Necta – "Lady Love"
Best Rap & Hip-Hop Album B-Free – Free the Mane 3 "Free the Mane vs. B-Free" Effie – Pullup to Busan 4 More Hyper Summer It's Gonna Be a Fuckin Movie Sik-K & Lil Moshpit – K-Flip+ Viceversa – Animal FKRY Yumdda – Breathe 4	Best Rap & Hip-Hop Song B-Free – "Nergal" C Jamm – "Layered" Effie – "Can I Sip 담배" Sik-K & Lil Moshpit – "LOV3" (featuring Bryan Chase & Okasian) Yumdda – "Irony"
Best R&B & Soul Album Bibi – Eve: Romance Chudahye Chagis – Sosuminjok Jeebanoff – Misery Shinjihang – Nong Yoon Da-hye – Wang	Best R&B & Soul Song A.TRAIN – "Povidone" (featuring Danpyunsun) Chudahye Chagis – "Heosse!" Hyelyn Joo – "Busy Boy" Rakunelama – "B" Yoon Da-hye – "Twin Flame"
Best Folk Album Joung Tae-choon – Between Hard Rain Kim Hwal-sung – The Remnant Forest Kwon Tree – The Fragrance of Life Lucid Fall – Elsewhere Sanmanhan – Sanmanhan 2	Best Folk Song Joung Tae-choon – "Between Hard Rain" Kim Chang-wan – "A Day" Kim Hwal-sung – "The Remnant Forest" Kwon Tree – "Unknowingly, So Did I" Sanmanhan – "Heart of a Dog"
Best Metal & Hardcore Album Baan – Neumann Chain Reaction – A Love Supreme Dulom – Axiom Zero Loss of infection – 罰錢 Methkamel – Circle	Best Global Contemporary Album Gray by Silver – Time of Tree Jeon Jin-hee – 雨後 uuhu Jisu Jung & Baroque in Blue – Baroque in Blue Jung Eun-hye, Cadejo, & Yechan Kim – Namdo Calling Park Jiha – All Living Things
Best Jazz Album Good Ol'days – Oldie but Goodie Hakyung – Breathin In Malo – Malo Live at Muddy Maria Kim – Love Letters Yunmi Kang & John Stowell – A Timeless Place	Best Jazz Instrumental Album Mijung Lim – Impromptu Shin Ah-ram – Bium Project II: After Bium Sumin Jung – Remnants Sunmi Hong – Fourth Page: Meaning of a Nest Yonglee & the Doltang – Invisible Worker

References

^ "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
^ Lee, Jae-hoon (February 3, 2026). '韓 그래미' 한국대중음악상, '제23회 후보' 5일 공개한다 ['Korean Grammy' Korean Pop Music Awards, '23rd Nominations' will be released on the 5th] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026 – via Naver.
^ Ji, Seung-hoon (February 5, 2026). 이찬혁·제니, 한국대중음악상 5개 부문 노미 [Lee Chan-hyuk and Jennie were nominated for 5 Korean Pop Music Awards] (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026 – via Naver.
^
2026 Nominees:
- General field: "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식 - 종합분야 수상후보" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony - Nominee for the General Field]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
- Genre categories: "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식 - 장르분야 수상후보" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony - Genre Categories]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.

[1] "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.

[2] Lee, Jae-hoon (February 3, 2026). '韓 그래미' 한국대중음악상, '제23회 후보' 5일 공개한다 ['Korean Grammy' Korean Pop Music Awards, '23rd Nominations' will be released on the 5th] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026 – via Naver.

[3] Ji, Seung-hoon (February 5, 2026). 이찬혁·제니, 한국대중음악상 5개 부문 노미 [Lee Chan-hyuk and Jennie were nominated for 5 Korean Pop Music Awards] (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026 – via Naver.

[nominations-4] 2026 Nominees:
General field: "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식 - 종합분야 수상후보" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony - Nominee for the General Field]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.

Genre categories: "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식 - 장르분야 수상후보" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony - Genre Categories]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.

[5] General field: "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식 - 종합분야 수상후보" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony - Nominee for the General Field]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.

[6] Genre categories: "2026 제23회 한국대중음악상 시상식 - 장르분야 수상후보" [The 23rd Korean Music Awards 2026 Ceremony - Genre Categories]. Korean Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.

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