Indonesia to host K-pop award show Golden Disc Awards for the first time

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post): The 38th edition of Golden Disc Awards, one of South Korea’s oldest and famed music award shows, is set to be held in Jakarta for the first time, marking Indonesia’s increasing relevance as one of the largest K-pop consumer markets in the world.

The show will be held on Jan 6, 2024, at the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in North Jakarta. It was previously held in Bangkok in January.

First established in 1986, the prestigious show was initially titled the Korea Visual and Records Grand Prize Award before changing its name to the Golden Disc Awards in 2001. Its ceremony was hosted in South Korea for most events until 2012 when it was first held abroad in Osaka, Japan.

Other times the Golden Disc Awards have been held internationally including in Kuala Lumpur in 2013 and Beijing in 2015.

This is the first time a major annual K-pop award show will be held in Indonesia.

Korean entertainment has gained a huge following in Indonesia since the late 2000s, following the global cultural phenomenon Hally’ or Korean Wave. It grew increasingly rapidly in the 2010s and even more so in the 2020s as studies showed that many found comfort in Korean content during the pandemic.

According to last year’s data from Twitter, now rebranded as X, Indonesia was the country with the most K-pop-related tweets in 2021, for the second consecutive year. The Philippines trailed in second place and South Korea itself placed third.

“We are very proud to be the local promotor for this historic and international event,” Rizdania Herlendita, head of marketing communications of PT Nusantara Indah Ceria Entertainment (NICE), said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Rizdania added that the event would be a symbol of friendship between South Korea and Indonesia as well as a platform to strengthen the cultural ties between both countries.

NICE as the local promoter will collaborate with the South Korean broadcasting company JTBC for the show, which said it was “ecstatic” to be working together with an Indonesian promoter.

“This is a historic moment for South Korea and Indonesia. We want to return our gratitude to Indonesian fans by bringing this show to Indonesia,” Kim Yooseok, the global strategic director of JTBC, said during the conference.

Kim also added that there would be special performances and collaborations on the show.

In partnership with Mandiri Bank, the Jakarta edition next year will include a special Mandiri Award voted by Indonesians for the most awaited K-pop act performer, which serves to highlight the voice of Indonesia’s K-pop community.

Rizdania said JIS is “ready” despite criticisms of its infrastructure earlier this year.

JIS was the venue for Indonesian famed rock band Dewa 19 on Feb 4, raking in over 75,000 spectators. However, audiences found that the sound system was unsatisfactory and access to public transportation was appalling, leaving packs of people stranded on the street hours after the show.

The show’s promoter Redline Kreasindo has since apologized for the discomfort. JIS has also undergone extensive renovations in preparation for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup starting Nov 10.

“We have planned meticulous traffic control for JIS and have added more shuttles for transportation. Its retractable roof will also help if it rains,” Rizdania said.

The line-up for the show will be announced in early December, which will reportedly include at least 12 performers from the show’s nominees.

Previous attendees and performers at the Golden Disc Awards 2023 in Bangkok include established groups like SEVENTEEN, newcomers like IVE and NewJeans, and stars like J-Hope of the famed group BTS.

VIP tickets will be available starting Nov 23, followed by regular tickets on Nov 30. Ticket prices for the award show in Jakarta will range from 1.3 million to 6 million rupiahs.