0:01 The Golden Disc Awards quickly became
0:03 one of the most talked about events of
0:05 the year. Beyond the stunning outfits
0:07 and unforgettable performances, the
0:08 night also stirred its fair share of
0:10 controversies and discussions which are
0:12 still going on days after the show
0:14 ended. So, let's get into everything
0:16 that happened. On January 10th, the
0:18 Golden Disc Awards returned for their
0:20 40th edition with a massive ceremony
0:22 held at Taipei Dome in Taiwan organized
0:25 by HLLL Jungang. Over the course of 6
0:27 hours, around 40,000 fans filled the
0:29 venue to watch artists compete across 15
0:31 different categories alongside
0:33 large-scale stages that highlighted the
0:35 biggest songs and performers of 2025.
0:37 The night featured an impressive lineup
0:40 with groups like Lerae, IV, ATS, Monster
0:42 X, and Hypen and Isna taking over the
0:44 stage. While major names such as Gragon,
0:46 Jenny, and Stray Kids walked away with
0:48 the most talked about awards. As
0:50 expected from an event of this size, the
0:52 ceremony did not pass without stirring
0:54 debate online. From fashion choices to
0:56 performances, reactions, and even
0:58 certain wins, the show quickly became a
1:00 hot topic, turning the night into one of
1:02 the most discussed awards ceremonies in
1:04 recent years. Among all the moments that
1:06 sparked conversation, the red carpet
1:07 look stood out first, especially one
1:09 that immediately divided opinions. All
1:11 Day Projects Tarzan drew heavy attention
1:13 the moment he appeared, wearing a tight
1:15 leather top paired with black pants and
1:17 sunglasses. While the outfit itself
1:19 already leaned toward a bold image, what
1:21 truly caught people's eyes was his hair,
1:23 which was styled extremely short and
1:25 covered with multiple silver hair clips.
1:26 This marked a sharp shift from the
1:28 hairstyles he had previously been known
1:30 and highly criticized for, making the
1:32 look feel unexpected and intentionally
1:34 striking. Some viewers praised the
1:35 styling for pushing limits and
1:37 experimenting with image, calling it
1:39 daring and unconventional. His fans
1:41 wrote comments like, "This is how you
1:43 make a fashion statement." And Tarzan
1:44 Boy never failed to impress us with his
1:46 style. At the same time, plenty of
1:48 people were far from impressed and
1:50 quickly pushed back against the praise.
1:51 A lot of the criticism centered on
1:54 comparisons to rapper ASAP Rocky, with
1:55 commenters saying the styling felt
1:57 almost identical to looks he has already
1:59 worn in the past. Because of that, some
2:01 questioned why Tarzon's image was being
2:03 labeled as original at all, arguing that
2:05 his artistic identity relies too heavily
2:07 on borrowing from black artists rather
2:09 than creating something new. The
2:11 discussion then widened beyond Tarzan
2:13 himself, turning into criticism of K-pop
2:15 as a whole. One commenter pointed out
2:17 that idols often take inspiration from
2:19 non-Corean artists, especially black
2:21 creators, and then get praised for being
2:23 unique. According to them, the real
2:25 issue appears later when another idol
2:27 does something similar, and fans accuse
2:28 that idol of copying a Korean artist
2:30 instead of acknowledging the black
2:31 artist who introduced the look in the
2:33 first place. They ended their comment
2:35 with, "The entire foundation of K-pop is
2:37 stolen from other artists, yet the
2:39 industry and the fans are full of people
2:40 who like to act as if they created it."
2:42 Another moment that quickly turned into
2:44 a heated topic online had nothing to do
2:46 with the awards themselves and
2:47 everything to do with a brief
2:49 interaction caught on camera. While the
2:51 show was ongoing, NCT Wishes Riku
2:53 surprised viewers with a short unplanned
2:56 dance cover of EXO's The Eve, instantly
2:57 drawing attention for how sharp and
2:59 confident his movements were, with many
3:01 praising his control and stage presence
3:03 despite the casual setting. The issue
3:05 only started once fans looked more
3:06 closely at what was happening in the
3:08 background. James from Cortis, who was
3:10 seated behind Riku at the time, was seen
3:12 reacting with repeated and noticeably
3:14 exaggerated facial expressions as the
3:16 dance went on. Once clips began
3:18 circulating online, especially among
3:20 international fans, those reactions were
3:22 quickly criticized with many people
3:24 interpreting them as unnecessary,
3:26 mocking, and disrespectful. A Twitter
3:28 user responded to the moment, posting,
3:30 "Is it just a common occurrence for
3:32 Cortis to be blatantly rude? He's making
3:34 nasty facial expressions when all Riku
3:36 is doing is dancing." For many fans,
3:38 this moment did not exist in isolation,
3:40 as it immediately brought up past
3:42 criticism James had already faced just a
3:44 month earlier. Back in December, he had
3:46 been called out during the Mama Awards
3:48 for his reaction toward Baby Monsters
3:50 Ayan's high notes, which some viewers
3:51 also described as rude and
3:53 inappropriate. Because of that, people
3:55 were quick to connect the two incidents,
3:56 with a few going as far as labeling him
3:58 as a pickme and accusing him of trying
4:00 to pull focus onto himself instead of
4:02 letting Riku have his moment. That said,
4:05 the backlash was far from unanimous. A
4:07 large number of viewers felt the outrage
4:08 was blown out of proportion and argued
4:10 that the reaction said more about fan
4:12 expectations than James himself. They
4:14 pointed out how idols are often
4:15 criticized for looking blank or
4:17 unresponsive during performances, yet
4:19 are attacked the moment they show
4:21 visible reactions. According to this
4:23 side of the discussion, James appeared
4:24 genuinely impressed, even following
4:26 along with the choreography rather than
4:28 making fun of Riku. One supporter summed
4:30 it up by saying, "He's literally doing
4:32 the moves with them and his facial shows
4:34 that he's impressed. Please move along
4:36 and get off of him. Before we get into
4:38 the other controversial moments of the
4:40 night, don't forget to like the video,
4:42 subscribe to the channel, and turn your
4:43 notifications on so you don't miss
4:45 anything. By far the most talked about
4:47 moments of the night were tied to
4:48 Blackpink's Jenny, who essentially
4:50 became the center of the entire
4:52 ceremony. From the moment she arrived,
4:53 attention followed her as she stepped
4:55 onto the red carpet in a strapless
4:57 corset style dress with flowing draped
4:59 sleeves. [music] The look highlighted
5:00 her silhouette without feeling
5:02 excessive, while a striking diamond and
5:04 ruby necklace added a touch of luxury.
5:06 She later walked away with three major
5:08 awards as a solo artist, which quickly
5:10 sparked debate. Jenny received the best
5:12 digital song Bonong for like Jenny, the
5:14 global impact award, and the newly
5:16 introduced artist of the year day song.
5:17 Since this was the first time the
5:19 ceremony had ever given out this day
5:21 song, with previous years only
5:22 recognizing song of the year and album
5:24 of the year, some viewers questioned the
5:26 timing, accusing the show of creating
5:28 the award specifically to honor her,
5:30 arguing that her chart performance did
5:32 not justify such a top prize. One post
5:34 on the Korean community site, Pan gained
5:36 significant attention for claiming that
5:38 the ceremony rushed to introduce a new
5:40 grand award simply to ensure Jenny would
5:42 receive it. The post went on to read,
5:43 "People are dragging them because the
5:45 judging criteria are ridiculously vague.
5:47 just give her a participation or
5:49 lifetime achievement award instead,
5:50 wondering why they couldn't give the
5:52 award to other artists who had good
5:54 results. Still, that criticism did not
5:56 fully land with everyone. Many
5:58 commenters pushed back, arguing that
6:00 when looking at overall impact and
6:02 recognition, there simply were not many
6:04 releases that outperformed Like Jenny
6:05 during the period in question. Aside
6:07 from K-pop Demon Hunter Golden, which
6:09 was often mentioned as the only real
6:11 competitor, fans felt that Jenny's song
6:13 stood above the rest, making the award
6:15 feel justified in their eyes. Another
6:17 commenter said in obvious confusion,
6:19 "Huh?" Jenny's impact is insanely
6:22 obvious. How is this rushed? Even with
6:23 all the attention surrounding her
6:25 awards, nothing sparked more backlash
6:27 than Jenny's performance itself. Her
6:29 solo performance, which lasted almost 8
6:31 minutes and was built around songs from
6:33 her album Ruby, such as Filter, Damn
6:35 Right, and the title track Like Jenny,
6:37 was positioned as the biggest solo
6:38 moment of the night. But it also became
6:40 the most heavily criticized almost
6:42 immediately. Online discussions turned
6:44 harsh with some viewers going as far as
6:46 calling it the worst stage of the entire
6:48 award show. Much of the criticism
6:50 focused on her live vocals with people
6:52 claiming she was not properly singing
6:53 and instead shouting at different
6:55 volumes, claiming that they were
6:57 noticeable voice cracks. Others shifted
6:58 their attention to her choreography,
7:00 describing her movements as sloppy and
7:02 unpolished and questioning how someone
7:04 with a decade of experience could
7:05 perform that way. There were also
7:07 accusations that the large number of
7:09 backup dancers was used to pull focus
7:11 away from what critics viewed as weak
7:13 singing, rapping, and dancing. Another
7:15 critic wrote, "Jenny has zero singing
7:17 technique. Her expressions are always so
7:18 strange, too, acting like she did
7:20 something groundbreaking with her
7:21 yelping and shrieking." Even among those
7:23 who liked the performance, there were
7:25 still criticisms. Many claimed that her
7:26 energy didn't stay consistent
7:28 throughout, saying she seemed to run out
7:30 of stamina and was noticeably out of
7:31 breath by the end, which they felt
7:33 weakened an otherwise strong stage.
7:35 Another controversy erupted around a
7:37 short clip that quickly went viral
7:39 online which was unrelated to the
7:41 performance. The video captured Jenny
7:43 returning to her seat after her stage.
7:45 Seeing as she had performed non-stop for
7:46 8 minutes, by the time she reached her
7:48 seat, she was visibly drained and sank
7:50 into the chair, clearly exhausted from
7:52 the performance. But the person who
7:54 shared the clip accused her of faking
7:56 tiredness to gain sympathy. A claim that
7:58 spread fast and racked up nearly 7
8:00 million views, sparking heated debates
8:02 across social media. As the video
8:04 circulated, many fans and viewers jumped
8:06 to her defense, arguing that the
8:08 criticism was unfair and overblown. They
8:10 stressed that anyone who had just
8:11 completed such a physically demanding
8:13 performance would naturally show signs
8:15 of fatigue. Not to mention, she had also
8:17 received back-to-back awards, which had
8:19 her going up to the stage three times,
8:21 so it's no wonder that she felt tired.
8:23 Countless Nisonens questioned why
8:25 showing real exhaustion should even be
8:26 criticized, calling it yet another
8:28 example of the impossible standards
8:31 female idols, especially top tier stars
8:33 like Jenny are expected to meet. Fans
8:34 and the public quickly came to her
8:36 defense, arguing that the backlash she
8:38 was facing was completely unwarranted.
8:40 Many Korean netisonens praised her stage
8:42 presence, saying she commanded attention
8:44 from start to finish. They highlighted
8:46 her powerful voice, infectious energy,
8:48 and captivating aura, noting that every
8:51 moment felt magnetic and entertaining. A
8:52 number of viewers even went so far as to
8:54 claim this performance surpassed her
8:56 Melon Music Award stage, a statement
8:58 that speaks volumes about how impressive
9:00 it was. One user wrote, "She raps,
9:02 dances, sings, and has a unique aura.
9:04 She's a complete package ace queen, it
9:06 girl." When it comes to idols like
9:08 Jenny, it often feels like criticism
9:10 isn't meant to be helpful at all.
9:12 Instead of pointing out ways to improve,
9:13 people latch on to every little detail
9:15 of a performance, whether it actually
9:17 deserves critique or not. The so-called
9:19 feedback quickly turns into pure
9:21 negativity aimed at tearing her down.
9:23 Thankfully, online noise is just online
9:25 noise, and it doesn't affect her
9:27 standing. Everything else considered,
9:28 Jenny is still one of the hardest
9:30 working and cherished idols in the
9:32 industry, and no amount of online
9:34 backlash can change that. What moment
9:35 from the Golden Disc Awards stood out to
9:37 you the most? Share your favorite
9:39 highlights in the comments below, and
