The prestigious Baeksang was supposed to be a moment of joy, honoring Korea’s most acclaimed talents. Yet, the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2025 turned out to be an unexpected popularity controversy. Not only that, but this controversy even involved 3 Korean top female celebrities: IU, Lee Hyeri, and Kim Hye Yoon.
So, what happened, really? In an industry where online voting has long been a celebration of fan enthusiasm, the 2025 Baeksang Awards raises more critical questions through this controversy: Is the popularity system still about genuine fan support? Or has technology, specifically macro voting, corrupted the process beyond recognition? Let’s discuss this further.
How the Baeksang Popularity Awards 2025 Controversy Started
It all begins on April 23, 2025. The Popularity Awards for 2025 Baeksang started at this time, allowing users four free votes daily through the PRIZM app, plus bonus votes via social sharing.
🪄 Popularity Vote for the 61st Baeksang Awards START 🪄
— PRIZM (@DISCOVERPLAYGET) April 23, 2025
Voting for the <2025 PRIZM Popularity Award> is about to begin! 🏆
Join the vote and share your certificate by 💬 Quote RT this post with #PRIZMPopularityAward
We’ve got a special ticket giveaway for those who… pic.twitter.com/oYflvC9bP2
Initially, the system appeared to encourage fair competition. However, sharp-eyed fans soon noticed disturbing patterns.
And so, 3 days after, by April 26, 2025, Lee Hyeri had led the race with over 3 million votes. Meanwhile, IU and Kim Hye Yoon followed closely with 2.4 million votes each. As for the rest of the other celebrities, they hovered at around 30,000 votes or fewer.
Now, this gap was almost impossible to ignore and even harder to explain. And so, videos began circulating online, showing suspiciously fast, almost automated vote surges for the top three actresses. As a result, arguments and debates quickly surfaced, accusing fans of having used macro programs, tools that automate thousands of votes at once.
With tangible evidence now public, what was once considered typical fandom enthusiasm turned into a full-blown controversy surrounding the 2025 Baeksang Popularity Awards.
Fans Demand Accountability: Disqualifications and Vote Filtering
Due to the circulating videos and online debates, fans across platforms—including TheQoo and X (Twitter) demanded real actions from the committees. They demanded the immediate disqualification of IU, Lee Hyeri, and Kim Hye Yoon, more filters against macro-generated votes, as well as the complete removal of the Popularity category altogether starting from 2025, if the Baeksang Awards cannot guarantee fairness.
- “What’s the point of a popularity award if it rewards cheating?”
- “All three should be disqualified if Baeksang cares about credibility.”
- “Get rid of the award if you can’t guarantee fair results.”
As of late April, Baeksang has not officially responded, even when the controversy has gained international traction. This silence then deepened the controversy, causing the public to criticize and accuse the 2025 Baeksang that they were either incapable or unwilling to safeguard the integrity of their own awards.
Why the Baeksang Awards Controversy Hits Harder in 2025
Although Korean entertainment awards have faced past accusations of vote manipulation, the Baeksang Popularity Awards controversy in 2025 stands out for several strong reasons:
Clear Public Evidence
Unlike vague accusations in the past, videos and screenshots showing macro programs in action have gone viral.
Massive Vote Differences
The top three actresses gained millions of votes within days, while seasoned actresses barely reached tens of thousands—an abnormal difference impossible to justify by fan base size alone.
Prestige at Risk
The Baeksang Awards are considered one of Korea’s highest honors. It may only be one segment compromised, but if this is confirmed, then the entire event’s legitimacy weakens.
Changing Fan Expectations
In 2025, fans demand transparency. They no longer accept “whatever it takes” tactics, especially when the result feels engineered rather than earned.
Therefore, the consequences go far beyond the individual reputations of these celebrities. This controversy has corrupted what the 2025 Baeksang Awards were supposed to represent: honor, artistry, and sincere love from the public.
Why Macro Voting Destroys More Than Just an Award
Not only for the Baeksang Awards 2025, but this controversy has actually exposed how automated mass-voting has become a corrupt practice in the Korean entertainment scene, where popularity vote was supposed to be determined by how much support a celebrity received from the public.
First of all, it undermines genuine fans. Those who vote manually every day, believing their support matters. Secondly, it cheapens the achievements of the winners, making victories feel hollow rather than earned.
Finally, it damages the overall credibility of the Korean entertainment industry. Due to this practice, it becomes harder to convince global audiences that Korean awards still hold prestige and integrity.
What Happens Next for Baeksang?
And so, due to this controversy, the 2025 Baeksang Awards now stand at a crossroads. If they ignore the public’s voices and calls for change, they will risk this year’s award, becoming a controversy that defines them for years in the future.
That is why Baeksang must act decisively and fast. Only that way could they restore at least some faith among fans.
How? Well, there are some possible real actions they could take right away:
- Advanced vote auditing technology to flag suspicious voting patterns.
- Limits on voting accounts, possibly requiring stronger identity verification.
- Partial weight given to professional committee evaluation, rather than pure public votes.
- Or, the most drastic—abolishing the Popularity Award altogether, recognizing that in the digital age, genuine public sentiment is almost impossible to verify without massive intervention.
And whatever path they choose, it will eventually determine how Korean entertainment awards manage public participation in the future.
Baeksang Awards Controversy 2025: A Critical Turning Point for Popularity Contest
Finally, it’s ironic how Baeksang Popularity Awards 2025 were meant to showcase the passionate connection between stars and their fans. But instead, they now highlight a growing rift between what fans expect and what the system delivers.
And so, the controversy has become another warning sign for Korean entertainment industry. Even its most respected awards must also evolve, just like all its other aspects. Otherwise, they risk becoming outdated relics a less transparent era, washed away and ignored in this new generation global entertainment scene.
Even when Baeksang has built its prestige over decades, this prestige alone will no longer be enough. Not now, not today, where every vote, every number, and every win is placed at the very center of international microscope.
So, what do you think? Will Baeksang Awards be able to rise from this 2025 popularity controversy? Or will they also remain oblivious of what’s happening around voting issues in the Korean entertainment scenes, just like the other instances?
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Join us on Kpoppost’s Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X, Telegram channel, WhatsApp Channel and Discord server for discussions. And follow Kpoppost’s Google News for more Korean entertainment news and updates. You can also join our exclusive membership. You might be able to join our upcoming exclusive community events and win exciting prizes!
