Scamming BTS Fans? 2024 "Korean Grand Music Awards" Accused Of Being Rigged

The 2024 Korean Grand Music Awards (KGMAs) have come under fire for alleged unfair practices after their first day concluded, sparking widespread criticism online.

Fans took to social media and forums, voicing concerns that the awards favored attending artists over deserving winners. The controversy especially flared around BTS‘s J-Hope, whose fans felt he was unfairly overlooked.

The KGMAs use a scoring system that allocates 20% for expert evaluation, 45% for performance, and 35% for fan votes. Given that fan voting holds substantial weight, many fans actively participated, even spending money to secure top spots for their favorite artists.

J-Hope, backed by his dedicated ARMY, secured first place with an overwhelming 81.1% of the votes. PLAVE followed with 9.8%, and BE’O came in third with 4.2%. Yet, despite J-Hope’s lead, he did not take home an award, leaving fans questioning the legitimacy of the results.

Instead, the “Best Hip Hop” award went to Lee Young Ji, who ranked sixth with only 0.6% of the votes.

[#KGMA 2024]

베스트 아티스트상
베스트 힙합상
주인공은 바로 #이영지

🎉수상을 진심으로 축하드립니다☺️

📱https://t.co/8LQ92eNAMn
📱https://t.co/lquBMsCojz #LeeYoungji #축하해 #KGMA #KoreaGrandMusicAwards #코리아그랜드뮤직어워즈 pic.twitter.com/KV78xEgzqe

— KGMA_일간스포츠 (@ilgansports) November 16, 2024

The controversy didn’t stop there. In the Best Band category, the newly formed all-female band QWER was announced as the winner. This decision sparked outrage as QWER had placed third with only 0.57% of the fan votes. PLAVE, leading with 89% of the votes, and DAY6, in second with 9.5%, were left empty-handed.

#QWER 2025년 목표 단독 콘서트!!🥰 pic.twitter.com/Fltug8fiiS

— 영원 (@ckfsqka) November 17, 2024

Fans voiced frustration over what they perceived as the KGMAs prioritizing attendance over actual voting results. Many accused the awards of exploiting fans’ dedication and financial contributions while disregarding the actual vote counts.