The 2025 MAMA AWARDS opened with a tribute to fire victims in Hong Kong, featuring somber performances and heartfelt speeches.

The '2025 MAMA AWARDS' carefully opened in memory of the victims of a large fire in Hong Kong. In a calm atmosphere, it began with a moment of silence, without fireworks or firecrackers, expressing condolences with black outfits and mourning ribbons. On the afternoon of the 28th, the '2025 MAMA AWARDS' was held at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. The host for the first day was actor Park Bo-gum. Prior to this, on the 26th, a large fire broke out in a high-rise apartment in Tai Po, New Territories, northern Hong Kong. As of the afternoon of the 28th, the death toll was reported at 128, with 79 injured. There was much interest in whether the awards should proceed just two days after the tragedy. In response, CJ ENM decided to hold a moment of mourning in line with the local atmosphere, make donations to support the victims, and proceed with the live broadcast as scheduled. According to My Daily's report, they also informed performers to maintain a calm tone, control audience reactions, focus on mourning and comfort, and avoid politically sensitive remarks. On this day, before the official start of the awards ceremony, Park Bo-gum took the stage in a black suit. He expressed deep condolences to all those who lost precious lives, family, and friends due to the incident, saying, 'I sincerely hope that no further harm will occur, and I would like to take a moment of silence.' After the moment of silence, he stated, 'All artists and staff participating in the '2025 MAMA AWARDS' prepared this event with a heavy sense of responsibility. We believe in the power of music.' He added, 'We believe in the healing and solidarity that music brings, and we want to deliver comfort and hope through this stage, conveying the strength to move forward.' One of the four major awards, the 'Fan's Choice of the Year,' was awarded to ENHYPEN. ENHYPEN achieved a triple crown, winning the first 'MAMA AWARDS' grand prize trophy, 'TELASA Favorite Global Artist,' and 'Fan's Choice.' Leader Jungwon immediately called out 'ENGENE!' (the fan name) upon stepping on stage, showing tears. He thanked Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE, and Kim Tae-ho, head of BELIEF LAB, for respecting them as humans rather than as mere products or business perspectives, helping them become better people. Sunghoon remarked, 'In just two days, we will celebrate our 5th anniversary, and (this award) is a 5th-anniversary gift from all of you, ENGENE.' Sunu expressed gratitude for being able to stand in a place he had always dreamed of. The 'Song of the Year,' selected by combining 40% domestic music sources, 20% overseas sources, and 40% jury evaluations, was awarded to BLACKPINK's Rosé and Bruno Mars for their collaboration 'APT.' Other nominees included BLACKPINK's Jennie's 'like JENNIE,' aespa's 'Whiplash,' BIGBANG's G-DRAGON's 'TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak),' and the K-POP girl group 'Huntrix' from the Netflix animated film 'KPOP Girls! Demon Hunters' with 'Golden.' Although Rosé and Bruno Mars could not attend the venue, Rosé expressed her heartfelt gratitude to fans for their love throughout the year via video, thanking the staff and composers who worked hard to create the music. She continued, 'Bruno! We won 'Song of the Year' at the '2025 MAMA AWARDS.' I am truly happy to receive this award. Thank you so much. I think we made many memories at the 'MAMA AWARDS.' The first day's stage opened with the dance crew BUMSUP, followed by diverse performances from Hearts2Hearts, NCT WISH, TWS, MEOVV, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, BABYMONSTER, BOYNEXTDOOR, TOMORROW X TOGETHER's Yeonjun, TREASURE, i-dle, SUPER JUNIOR, IVE, and ENHYPEN. However, in the mourning mood, everyone wore dark outfits, and some stage configurations were changed. There were no extravagant displays like fireworks or firecrackers. Notably, MEOVV changed the existing lyrics 'burning up' to 'turn it up' during their performance. Award recipients also wore mourning ribbons and donned monochrome outfits. Global presenters Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat were absent. Artists receiving trophies also expressed condolences during their acceptance speeches. IVE achieved a triple crown with 'Global Trend Song,' 'Favorite Global Performer,' and 'Favorite Female Group.' IVE expressed joy and pride in the message conveyed by their 3rd mini-album 'IVE EMPATHY' and title track 'REBEL HEART,' saying, 'Thanks to the support of DIVE (the fan name).' The 'Best New Artist' award went to CORTIS and Hearts2Hearts. CORTIS expressed gratitude to their supporters, COER (the fan name), and thanked Bang Si-hyuk and Shin Seong-jong of BIGHIT MUSIC for supporting their ability to make music. Hearts2Hearts, who also won 'Fan's Choice,' expressed their aspirations, saying, 'We believe it is something we achieved because we are eight. We want to continue aiming higher together as eight.' SUPER JUNIOR received the 'Inspiring Achievement' award, stating, 'In the past, we thought it was important to win first place and receive grand prizes, but now we understand that what matters is how long we can continue with our fans.' They conveyed their feelings as a long-standing group, saying, 'It is a miracle that we have been together for 20 years, thanks to your support.' The 'Favorite Male Group' award went to BOYNEXTDOOR. In their acceptance speech, they thanked the staff and KOZ Entertainment, HYBE, and their parents for supporting their ability to make music. The male and female TOP 10 in the 'Fan's Choice' category, selected through a combination of 90% Mnet Plus votes and 10% X (formerly Twitter) votes, were also honored. ENHYPEN, RIIZE, BABYMONSTER, Stray Kids, Hearts2Hearts, ZEROBASEONE, aespa, i-dle, etc., received their trophies directly. Unfortunately, the awards for G-DRAGON, EXO's Baekhyun, BTS's Jin, J-HOPE, SEVENTEEN, NCT DREAM, IU, Red Velvet's Irene, ILLIT, ITZY, LE SSERAFIM, and TWICE were confirmed via VCR. Among them, the acceptance speeches of groups with Chinese members attracted attention. Ricky from ZEROBASEONE expressed his heartfelt condolences to those affected by the incident, hoping to be of some small help to the bereaved families and wishing for more warm support to reach them. NINGNING from aespa expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims of the fire, hoping for the safety of the firefighters. She prayed for peace for everyone. Ugi from i-dle expressed her hope that their sincere feelings would reach those who experienced the disaster, wishing for the quick recovery of the injured and for the bereaved to overcome their suffering. The '2025 MAMA AWARDS' red carpet was canceled, but the awards ceremony proceeded with a live broadcast as scheduled. Donations continue from the K-POP community, including SUPER JUNIOR and Stray Kids, to support the victims of the Hong Kong fire.