On the 15th, the '33rd Hanteo Music Awards 2025' was held at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. The ceremony took place as a festival of musicians encompassing various generations and genres of K-pop, with approximately 10,000 spectators in attendance. Hosted by Hanteo Global, this global awards ceremony emphasized its identity as an "awards ceremony by musicians, for musicians," composing both performers and award presenters entirely of musicians.

Yoon Jong-shin received the '30th Anniversary - Legend of the Age' award. Various artists gathered in one place, including Hats2Hats, who won the Rookie Award, Pentagon celebrating their 10th anniversary, and Kyuhyun of Super Junior, marking their 20th anniversary. They supported each other as seniors and juniors in K-pop, creating a space of harmony that transcended generations and genres.

At the ceremony, ATEEZ received the most attention by winning three awards: 'Artist of the Year Grand Prize,' 'Main Award,' and 'World Stage.' Trot singers Son Tae-jin, Park Ji-hyun, and Kim Hee-jae also won in the 'Best of Adult Contemporary' category. Artists from various genres such as Lee Young-ji, Lee Chang-sub, Hwang Ga-ram, Lucy, and Forestella received special awards, adding to the festive atmosphere.

In the first part of the event, a tribute stage continuing the K-pop lineage was prepared. Rookie groups reinterpreted hit songs by BTS, creating scenes where junior artists paid respect to their seniors. The moment when Kim Chang-wan presented an award to Yoon Jong-shin and remarked, "Thousands of lyrics have become our diary," was particularly impressive. Yoon Jong-shin reflected on his musical journey, stating, "I will continue to imagine and sing in the future."

Hosted by Tiffany Young and Lee Chan-won, this awards ceremony also showed the aspect of a family-type festival. Kyuhyun expressed his feelings, saying, "It is an honor just to stand on the same stage with juniors even after 20 years." Lee Chan-won expressed gratitude, saying, "K-pop exists today because of the seniors."

The Hanteo Music Awards enhanced fairness through a data-based judging system. Winners were selected by combining real-time album sales data and fan votes, with a structure that allows awarding regardless of attendance. Kwak Young-ho, CEO of Hanteo Global, said, "The Hanteo Chart is the world's only music chart that has walked with K-pop, and selecting winners every year is not easy under the responsibility of being a credible chart."

The grand prizes were awarded to ATEEZ, Stray Kids, G-Dragon, and Enhypen. Stray Kids won the most awards with six, including the Main Award and Continental Artist Awards. Rookie Awards went to Hats2Hats and Cortes, while Lim Young Woong received the Domestic Popularity Award, and BTS received the Global Popularity Award. Lim Young Woong's fandom, Hero Era, also won the 'Who's Fandom Award.'

'HMA 2025' is structured so that musicians give awards to musicians, with industry experts and active artists participating in the judging. Industry insiders emphasized that "recognition from fellow musicians is more valuable than any trophy," highlighting that the event was an occasion to celebrate each other and pledge the path ahead.

This awards ceremony established itself as an important event showing the diversity of music and solidarity between generations, alongside artists leading the future of K-pop. The presence of artists advancing with the development of K-pop is expected to contribute to indicating the future direction of K-pop.