Kakao Entertainment will host this year's Melon Music Awards (MMA) over two days for the first time, marking its leap into a global K-pop festival.
Kakao Entertainment said Tuesday that the "2026 Melon Music Awards (MMA2026)," organized by its music platform Melon, will be held November 14 and 15 at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It is the first time the MMA will be staged over two days.
MMA2026 has adopted "K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse" as this year's slogan. According to Melon, the slogan reflects the idea of fans around the world being united through K-pop and a space where new musical trends begin.
The organizers plan to expand the scale of the event to create a stage where more artists and fans can take part together. Through this, they aim to establish the event as a leading music festival where global K-pop fandoms interact, going beyond a simple awards ceremony.
In particular, this year's awards will link some award categories with the "Global-K Chart," the first K-pop chart from Korea, China, and Japan that was recently launched, further strengthening the participation of global fans. The Global-K Chart is a K-pop chart that integrates data from major music platforms including Melon, China's Tencent Music, and Japan's LINE Music, comprehensively reflecting streaming records and fan activity metrics.
Through this, Melon presents a standard that allows fans to see at a glance the music and artists favored not only in Korea but also in major K-pop markets such as China and Japan. MMA2026 will also use the chart to reflect global fan sentiment in the award results. Detailed award categories and tabulation methods will be announced later.
Launched in 2005, the MMA is a leading music awards ceremony that has spotlighted K-pop's achievements over the course of a year based on Melon's music usage data, fan voting, and expert evaluation. Kakao Entertainment plans to present a festival venue where artists and fans can communicate in more diverse ways through this two-day format.
Meanwhile, ahead of MMA2026, Melon will hold various pre-events, including TOP 10 selection and voting by category. Related schedules and details will be announced later through the official MMA2026 page.
"The MMA is a leading K-pop awards ceremony that has grown based on music data and the active participation of fans," a Melon official said. "This year, through its first two-day format and the link with the Global-K Chart, it will leap into a global music festival created together by fans around the world."
