[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] Major K-pop agencies have voiced their support for the concerns raised by the group BTS. Not only BTS’s agency, HYBE, but also artists from SM, JYP, and YG—collectively known as the “Big 4”—have united in their stance by choosing not to submit entries for the “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” (Asian Pop) category, newly established by the Grammy Awards. This move is seen as prioritizing ensuring K-pop receives recognition befitting its elevated status in the global music market, rather than fixating on winning a Grammy.

◇Mixed Reactions to the Creation of the “Asian Pop” Category… BTS Takes the Lead in Raising Concerns
According to an E-Daily investigation on the 21st, it was confirmed that artists affiliated with South Korea’s four major agencies—HYBE, SM, JYP, and YG—will not be submitting entries to the “Asian Pop” category at the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for next February.
“Asian Pop” is a category covering popular music from across Asia, including K-pop, Japan’s J-pop, and China’s C-pop. While some had hoped this would increase K-pop artists’ chances of winning, others expressed concern that it could create a barrier between this category and the major award categories.
Amid this situation, BTS was the first to publicly raise objections. Last July, BTS declared that they would not submit entries to next year’s Grammys, stating, “We hope that music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being categorized by region or language.” Subsequently, artists from other major agencies—including Stray Kids, TWICE, and aespa—also chose not to submit entries to this category, effectively lending weight to BTS’s stance.
Launched in 1959, the Grammy Awards are organized by the Recording Academy and are known for prioritizing musical excellence and artistic achievement.
The Grammys have long been regarded as a symbolic goal for K-pop artists seeking to break into the pop music market. BTS has been nominated several times since 2021 but has yet to win an award. During this process, criticism arose that while the Grammys exploited BTS’s popularity to boost the ceremony’s buzz, they were stingy when it came to actually awarding them. Among K-pop-related music, “Golden,” the soundtrack from the Netflix animated series “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” is the only Grammy winner to date.
Kim Heon-sik, a pop culture critic, pointed out, “The Grammys are an awards ceremony stuck in a 20th-century model where existing music industry professionals decide the winners,” adding, “They are failing to fully reflect 21st-century music market trends, such as the spread of music through social media and fandom-centered concert consumption.”

◇K-pop Proves Its Global Competitiveness… Impact on the Status of Newly Created Categories
In fact, K-pop artists are not only achieving success on major U.S. music charts but are also expanding their influence by holding large-scale tours around the world. It is believed that the decision not to submit entries was influenced by the judgment that, having already proven their competitiveness in the global market, there is no need to cling to a separate “Asian Pop” category.
BTS won the “Song of the Year” award—the equivalent of the grand prize—for “SWIM” at the MTV Video Music Awards last month but did not attend the ceremony. This is interpreted as an example of the changing attitude among K-pop artists, who are focusing on their own activities rather than being preoccupied with whether they win awards at international ceremonies.
The Grammys will officially announce the nominees for each category on the 16th of next month (local time). Since agencies rarely publicly disclose whether they have submitted entries, it is difficult to ascertain the full scope of submissions until the nominees are announced.
Meanwhile, local Grammy prediction sites are listing major J-pop artists such as Kensei Yonezu, Yoshiki, AKB48, Hikaru Utada, and Yoasobi as potential nominees in the “Asian Pop” category. Among K-pop artists, IVE, KIKI, and FIFTY FIFTY are mentioned as groups likely to be submitted for consideration. In existing categories such as “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance,” artists like ENHYPEN and Cat’s Eye are being mentioned as potential nominees.
With major K-pop artists who wield significant influence in the global market sitting out, the newly created “Asian Pop” category appears to have lost some momentum right from the start. Critic Kim stated, “If the boycott movement by major agencies is not a one-time occurrence but continues in the future, criticism of the Grammys’ categorization system could gain even more traction,” adding, “K-pop is already evolving in a direction that is difficult to judge by the Grammys’ existing evaluation criteria. It is important for K-pop to forge its own path going forward, rather than being fixated on whether it wins a Grammy or not.”