LE SSERAFIM, KiiiKiii, XLOV, Hi-Fi un!corn Join "2026 K-World Dream Awards"
Acts leading K-pop with their distinctive music have joined the global Hallyu festival "2026 K-World Dream Awards" in force. The stage of this year's ceremony, marking its 10th anniversary, is set to grow even more varied. The Additional Lineup Revealed The "2026 K-World Dream Awards" organizing committee announced an additional lineup on August 4 that includes LE SSERAFIM, KiiiKiii, XLOV, and the band Hi-Fi un!corn. LE SSERAFIM posted strong, even results across major platforms—Apple Music's global chart, Spotify, and YouTube—with "BOOMPALA," the title track of its second studio album "PUREFLOW pt.1," released this May. With the album, which carries the message that knowing fear is what makes you stronger, it showed a more mature musical color. XLOV , a group with a "genderless" concept, reached No. 6 on Billboard's "25 Best K-pop Albums of 2026" with its second mini album "I,God," released the same month. Member Umuti handled production while Hyun and Haru took part in the songwriting, completing the team's own identity. After recently wrapping a North American fan meeting, it has been on an Asia tour starting with a Seoul concert. KiiiKiii topped major domestic music charts with "404 (NEW ERA)," the title track of its second mini album "Delulu Pack," released this January, and also landed at No. 1 on Billboard's "Best K-pop Songs of the First Half of 2026." With distinctive house-based music and performance, it has established itself as a next-generation representative girl group. Hi-Fi un!corn is a five-member band active across Korea and Japan. It has steadily released new songs through the monthly digital single project "H!dden Color" and recently wrapped an Asia tour in Seoul. This month, it has a new Japanese single "Telescope," a livehouse tour, and appearances at major Korean and Japanese music festivals ahead. A Ceremony Marking Its 10th Anniversary This ceremony launched in 2017 as the "Soribada Best K-Music Awards" and has grown alongside K-pop through name changes. Marking its 10th anniversary this year, it has been set up as an occasion to look back on past achievements while presenting a milestone toward a new leap for K-pop and K-culture. The organizing committee said that, under the principle that everyone who made K-pop's present is a contributor, it honors the contributions of all who led K-pop's growth—artists, production crews, staff, and industry figures—rather than sorting out rankings, placing meaning on harmony over competition. With the goals of realizing an era of 20 million tourists visiting Korea through K-pop and Korea's leap into a K-culture powerhouse, it also plans to expand its role as a global Hallyu platform. Schedule and Existing Lineup The "2026 K-World Dream Awards" will be held on August 27 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Earlier, ATEEZ, P1Harmony, RIIZE, AHOF, and AND2BLE, along with SeeYa, QWER, ILLIT, RESCENE, JAY B, Sungri, EVAN, and Park Ji-hyeon, were confirmed to perform. This latest addition has made the lineup even richer. Broadcaster Jun Hyun-moo and comedian Jang Do-yeon will host for the fourth consecutive year. The popularity award vote, which fully reflects global fans' choices, is underway on the fandom platform FanderONE. Winners are chosen across four categories—male and female groups, and male and female soloists—with the top 30 in each category that cleared the preliminaries competing in the finals. (The popularity vote rankings change in real time.) The "2026 K-World Dream Awards" is hosted by the organizing committee and organized by the Hallyu specialist agency YJ Partners. The ceremony will be livestreamed worldwide via OTT for global fans, with the streaming platform to be announced later.
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