This Week in K-Pop: October 12th – 17th

MAMA 2026 Nominations Released, Fans’ Choice Voting Begins, and Performer Lineup Revealed

On October 12th, the 2026 MAMA Awards nominations were announced, alongside the beginning of Fans’ Choice voting and significant changes to the ceremony’s evaluation criteria compared to 2025.

Although the overall percentages for the main categories remain largely unchanged, the balance between domestic and international streaming performance has shifted. For Artist of the Year, Korean streaming and download performance previously accounted for 20% of the final score, compared to 10% for global performance. Both now carry equal weight at 15%. Song of the Year has undergone a similar adjustment, with domestic and global performance now accounting for 30% each, rather than the previous 40% and 20%. Album of the Year’s criteria remain unchanged, with 60% based on physical album sales and 40% on judges’ evaluations.

These changes reflect K-pop’s increasingly international audience, but they’ve also raised questions about how the new criteria might influence the results. Artists with stronger global streaming numbers could benefit, potentially changing predictions that previously favored domestic chart performance. Some fans have expressed frustration on X, questioning the timing of the adjustments and whether they favor larger companies. Mnet has not publicly provided a detailed explanation for the changes.

The announcements didn’t stop with the nominations. On October 13th, MAMA revealed its first round of performers, including ALPHA DRIVE ONE, BABYMONSTER, ENHYPEN, ILLIT, INI, NCT WISH, RESCENE, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, LE SSERAFIM, TWICE’s Nayeon, and ZEROBASEONE.

A second lineup announcement followed on October 16th, adding BIGBANG, CL, IVE, TREASURE, Hearts2Hearts, ALLDAY PROJECT, LNGSHOT, MODYSSEY, WOODZ, Hwasa, izna, KO1KEYZ, &TEAM, and performers from Street World Fighter: Directors’ War. The additions bring the announced lineup to 26 acts, representing multiple generations of K-pop.

This year’s ceremony will take place at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan on November 20th and 21st. The first evening will feature artists including CL, TREASURE, ENHYPEN, and BABYMONSTER, while BIGBANG, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, and ZEROBASEONE are scheduled for the second. With both established acts and newer groups participating, the ceremony is shaping up to be a particularly busy two days for K-pop fans.

SM Entertainment takes legal action against malicious posts targeting artists

In an effort to protect their artists, KWANGYA 119 has been released. A service that enhances interaction between fans and SM’s own label for reporting illegal activities shared on the internet. It allows fans to report artist defamation, false facts or fake news, errors that need correction, copyright infringement, and ticket fraud.

Put in their own words, they “listen to fans’ opinions, think together, and strive for a healthier K-pop culture.” The platform provides a netiquette meter, a gauge of users’ good behavior online, and KWANGYA 119 can restrict usage based on a user’s score. 

Roh Jisun opens up about a young ex-idol’s struggles

The former fromis_9 member speaks openly about her career as an idol then and as an influencer now: how she rebuilt her image after leaving the group, the challenges she had to face to become an idol—such as dropping out of school, being too old for a trainee, manipulation scandals regarding her survival program, the dichotomy of her job, and her wish to live with honesty.

The topic that gives the episode its name concerns the financial hardships idols face throughout their careers. Because their work is classified as “self-employed” or “freelance” within the South Korean labor landscape, the artists’ income is closely tied to the activities on their schedules—a situation that can lead to periods of financial scarcity. This has brought issues such as artists’ working conditions and how companies treat them back into the conversation.

SUNGHANBIN (from ZEROBASEONE) makes his solo debut with DEAD:ALIVE

With some OST tracks under his belt, SUNGHANBIN released his first solo project on October 12th. His theatrical pop-rock title track “UNDEAD” collected 4.5M views in its first 24 hours, earning strong praise from critics for his dark, mature concept, vocal range, and dance skills. Testing both the audience’s expectations and his own, he wanted to portray “self-transcendence” by showing a new version of himself, The Korea Herald cites.

Lee Soo Man, former SM CEO, strikes again

One of K-pop’s most influential figures is making headlines again. Lee Soo-man, the founder and former executive of SM Entertainment, has introduced two new idol groups through his company, A2O Entertainment. Having played a major role in shaping the modern K-pop industry and launching some of its most recognizable acts—including BoA, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, and aespa—Lee is now building a new generation of artists outside the company he founded.

The double launch uses a fictional alien planet, Soulite, as a metaverse where the 15-member boy group A2O SOUL and the 9-member girl group A2O LITE coexist. They debuted not with albums but with singles: the boys’ “Superstar” and the girls’ “Neon,” first released on October 14th. However, the girls’ group captured everyone’s attention, dominating charts even still. Old-school K-pop style and a multicultural, young lineup—13 to 19, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, American—keep drawing audiences’ attention, either in a good or a bad way.

Founded by Lee Soo Man in 2024, A2O Entertainment already had a 5-member girl group under its name, A2O MAY, which debuted in December 2024.

Min Hee-jin Referred to Prosecutors Over ILLIT Plagiarism Claims

Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business following her allegations that ILLIT copied NewJeans. Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station confirmed on October 14th that it had forwarded the case to prosecutors on October 1st, along with cases involving two former ADOR vice presidents.

The dispute dates back to April 2024, when Min accused ILLIT, a girl group managed by HYBE subsidiary BELIFT LAB, of copying elements of NewJeans’ choreography, visual concepts, and debut strategy. BELIFT LAB denied the allegations and filed a criminal complaint against Min the following month, arguing that her statements were false and damaging. Courts examining related disputes have previously found insufficient evidence to establish that ILLIT copied NewJeans, although an October 2025 ruling acknowledged similarities in some promotional materials.

Min has challenged the police referral. In a statement released on October 14th, her representatives emphasized that the decision represents an investigative assessment rather than an indictment or court ruling. They also questioned its consistency with previous investigative findings involving HYBE. The case now rests with prosecutors, who will determine whether to pursue charges. For now, the referral does not establish Min’s guilt or settle the underlying plagiarism dispute.

Amendment to the Korean Music Industry Promotion Act

Korean entertainment agencies will be able to release music videos on their own schedule under a new self-rating policy approved by the Cabinet on October 13th. Korea’s strict oversight of music videos dates back to 2012, when the government mandated predistribution rating checks to protect minors from explicit content in visual media. To safeguard young audiences, the legislation includes strict administrative oversight by dedicated compliance officers, requiring mandatory rating training and reporting classifications to the board before public release.

No artists from the Big 4 submitted songs for the Best Asian Pop Music Performance category at the Grammy Awards 2027

The Recording Academy’s newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category is already facing controversy ahead of the 2027 Grammy Awards. According to reports published October 16th, artists represented by South Korea’s four biggest entertainment companies—HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and YG Entertainment—were absent from the category’s reported submission list.

Announced in June, the new award is intended to recognize Asian popular music, including K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. Eligible songs must feature meaningful use of at least one Asian language. While some have welcomed the category as an opportunity for Asian artists to receive greater recognition, others have questioned whether separating music by region and language could further limit its recognition within the Grammys’ broader categories.

BTS was among the first major acts to publicly challenge the decision, wishing music was “heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” Stray Kids later made a similar decision, with JYP Entertainment confirming that the group had not submitted music for Grammy consideration.

The reported absence of artists from all four major companies has intensified the discussion. However, the submission information comes from Grammy-tracking sources rather than an official public list from the Recording Academy, and there has been no confirmation that the four companies coordinated a collective boycott.

The category hasn’t been entirely rejected, either. Though there are some K-Pop submissions (FIFTY FIFTY, IVE, KiiiKiii, and more), most of them come from Japan (AKB48, BABYMETAL, f5ve, PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE, Hikaru Utada, YOASOBI), the Philippines (BINI, SB19), and Taiwan (Jay Chou).

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has defended the category, arguing that it was created to celebrate the diversity and growth of Asian pop music rather than isolate its performers. Following discussions with members of the Asian music community, the Academy confirmed in early October that the award would proceed as planned.

The debate now raises an interesting question: will the category create meaningful new recognition for Asian artists, or reinforce the divisions that some of the industry’s biggest performers are challenging? The first nominees will offer an early indication of how the award is taking shape.