The 40th Golden Disc Awards, one of Korea’s most respected and long-running music award shows, is heading to Taiwan for its next big chapter.
Known for honoring the year’s top achievements in K-pop and Korean music, the show is making a major move abroad as it celebrates a milestone year.
On July 18, the organizers confirmed that the 40th Golden Disc Awards will be held on January 10, 2026, at Taipei Dome, the largest indoor venue in Taiwan with a seating capacity of 40,000.
The announcement was made by organizers HLL. The move is part of a broader effort to celebrate the awards’ 40-year legacy and bring the excitement of K-pop to more international audiences.
This is the seventh time the awards will be held outside of Korea, following previous editions in Osaka, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Fukuoka. The Taipei Dome event is expected to be the grandest yet, not just in size but in global reach and production scale.
Taiwan has proven itself to be a major hub for K-pop fans. Just last year, the Golden Wave concert at Kaohsiung’s National Stadium drew a full crowd of 40,000 people. That overwhelming response played a key role in the decision to bring the full Golden Disc Awards 2026 to Taipei.
To mark its 40th anniversary, the show is also rolling out a new look. The awards’ emblem has been updated for the first time since 2012. It kept the iconic circular disk symbol but added soundwave patterns to represent the global power of music. It’s also been rebranded from “GOLDEN DISC AWARDS” to the simpler and more modern “golden disc.”
The award selection criteria remain based on album sales, digital streaming, and media consumption. These metrics aim to represent both domestic and global consumption trends accurately.
Besides the awards show, the Golden Disc brand is expanding into a digital content platform. Organizers have been sharing K-pop news, music stories, and performance clips via social media to engage fans year-round.
The 39th Golden Disc Awards was held in Fukuoka, Japan this year on January 4-5. SEVENTEEN and aespa emerged as Daesang winners last year.
With the year drawing to a close, major year-end ceremonies like The Fact Music Awards, MAMA Awards, and MMA have revealed their dates and venues.
For the 40th edition, the Golden Disc Awards will go all out with a massive venue, and K-pop’s top stars are expected to attend.
Details on the artist lineup, ticketing, and global broadcast schedule will be announced soon.
