ATEEZ takes Daesang at the 35th Seoul Music Awards as BTS wins Hallyu honor
The 35th Seoul Music Awards crowned ATEEZ with the Daesang on June 20 at Inspire Arena, while BTS received the Korean Wave Special Award and LE SSERAFIM took Best Song.
Mina Park
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The 35th Seoul Music Awards closed on June 20 at Inspire Arena in Incheon, and the headline trophy went to ATEEZ. The group took the Daesang (Grand Prize) plus a Bonsang (Main Award), the combination fans read as both peak-night validation and sustained chart-era credit.
For North American listeners, the timing matters. ATEEZ is days away from GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5 on June 26 and a British Summer Time Hyde Park headline on June 28. SMA is not a separate victory lap. It is the awards-show version of the same sprint Goldscene tracked on BAD.
BTS without a full-group stage still owns the export lane
BTS received the Korean Wave Special Award, keeping the group's legacy frame active even when the full septet is not touring every summer festival slot. That award sits beside Come Over streaming week and the confirmed iHeartRadio Music Festival booking Goldscene covered in June.
SMA is domestic ceremony culture, but the Hallyu category is the bridge diaspora fans use when explaining why Korean acts still anchor U.S. radio festivals years after a military pause.
Girl groups and rookies split the rest of the table
LE SSERAFIM won Best Song, World Best Artist, and a Bonsang, stacking onto the Iconic by Mistake joint single week with Illit and Katseye. BOYNEXTDOOR took four trophies, including Best Album and World Best Artist. ZEROBASEONE added Best Album, Best Group, and a Bonsang.
Rookie lanes were crowded: AHOF, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and IDID shared Rookie of the Year. Veteran nostalgia also surfaced with EXO taking the Golden Revival Award and D.O. winning New Icon.
What the Daesang signals for summer travel math
ATEEZ's MK-sourced acceptance speech framed the Daesang as a long-held dream and promised stages "until voices are hoarse." That lines up with a group that already broke its own Billboard 200 top-three streak on the Part.4 roll-out.
If you are planning a summer trip around Korean releases, SMA is the scoreboard week before Hyde Park. Pair trophy headlines with the July comeback calendar and the North America tour table when you decide whether to fly for a festival set or stream from home.
