Minister Choi Hwi-young: "BTS and Lisa's MTV VMA Wins Reaffirm K-pop's Global Standing"

Culture Minister Posts Congratulations on the 29th
"Supporting the Growth of the Popular Music Industry"

Choi Huieong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo by Yonhap News

Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced on the 29th that he would support the popular music industry as he congratulated BTS and BLACKPINK's Lisa for their wins at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) in the United States.

On his social media account that day, Minister Choi wrote, "With this award by BTS and Lisa, the influence and recognition of K-pop in the global popular music market has been reaffirmed." He added, "This achievement belongs not only to the artists themselves, but also to the professionals who have always been with them in planning, production, and performance, as well as all the fans who love K-pop."

He continued, "The government will work to broaden the foundation of popular music and create a healthy environment for the sustainable growth of the industry so that these important achievements can continue," adding, "Once again, I congratulate BTS and Lisa on their wins and look forward to supporting their future activities."

At the awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, United States, on the 27th (local time), BTS received "Song of the Year," the top honor, for "SWIM," the title track from their fifth full-length album "ARIRANG." They also won "Best K-Pop" and "Best Group," sweeping a total of three categories.

BTS. Provided by Big Hit Music

This is the first time BTS has received "Song of the Year." Following BLACKPINK's Rosé and Bruno Mars, who became the first K-pop artists to win with "APT." last year, a K-pop artist has now won this award for two consecutive years.

Lisa won "Best Pop" for her solo track "Dream." She is the first Asian solo artist to receive this award. Among K-pop artists, this marks only the second time, following BTS's win for "ON" in 2020.

The MTV VMA is a popular music awards ceremony launched in 1984 by the American music channel MTV. "Song of the Year" is considered one of its main categories, alongside "Video of the Year" and "Artist of the Year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.