Michelle Yeoh, Kim Hye-soo, K-pop Star Versions of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Stage... MAMA Awards Returns to Hong Kong After 7 Years

With growing anticipation for the lifting of the ban on Korean pop culture following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Korea, the global K-pop awards show ‘2025 MAMA Awards’ will return to Hong Kong after seven years. The event will take place at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park on November 28 and 29. This year’s theme is ‘Heung (Excitement),’ and the festival promises to be a massive K-pop celebration for music fans worldwide.

CJ ENM has held the MAMA Awards in Hong Kong since 2012 at the Hong Kong Convention Center, meeting local fans consecutively through 2018. Marking Mnet’s 30th anniversary, the MAMA Awards returns to Hong Kong, the city that has hosted the ceremony the most times.
At a press conference held at CJ ENM headquarters in Mapo, Seoul, on the morning of the 11th, Park Chan-wook, Head of Convention Business at CJ ENM, stated, “The MAMA Awards, which began in 1999 as the ‘Mnet Music Video Festival,’ made its first overseas debut in Macau in 2010. Since then, it has been held in Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, and the United States.” He added, “This year, for the first time, the K-pop awards ceremony will be held at the stadium-scale Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong’s new landmark.”
He explained, “We continue to promote the globalization of K-pop by communicating with the most active fandoms and under the vision of ‘One World Through Music.’ Although the event was held domestically in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, we are now expanding back to overseas venues.”
When asked if the choice of Hong Kong as the host city reflected expectations for opening the Chinese market, he replied, “It wasn’t a decision made solely with Greater China in mind, but I can’t say that aspect was entirely absent.” He continued, “Hong Kong, which hosted the event from 2012 to 2018, is one of the most accessible regions for K-pop fans worldwide and holds significant symbolism as Asia’s mega-event hub.” He also noted, “With the completion of the new Kai Tak Sports Park, we expect to showcase unique productions and iconic K-pop stages exclusive to the MAMA Awards.”
Kai Tak Sports Park is Hong Kong’s newly developed landmark, a large-scale venue that can accommodate about 50,000 people standing. The opening performance featured Coldplay, and global artists such as NCT and Seventeen have also performed there.
He added, “The MAMA Awards will be the first awards ceremony held at this stadium, and after completing the circuit of Japan’s three major domes, it marks a new milestone.”

The concept slogan for this year is ‘UH-HEUNG,’ an onomatopoeia mimicking a tiger’s roar. It represents the call to accept oneself as is and to live authentically, without fear, across diverse regions, races, and cultures.


Chief Director Ma Du-sik stated, “At the center of K-pop in 2025, there has always been ‘Heung (Excitement).’ The MAMA Awards will be the stage that amplifies this excitement.” He added, “We are introducing the MAMA House Band for upgraded performances, and both visuals and sound have been enhanced. The event will be broadcast live worldwide in 4K via Mnet Plus.”
The hosts will be actors Park Bo-gum and Kim Hye-soo. Park Bo-gum, who first participated as an award presenter in 2016, has served as host since 2017. Taking the stage for the seventh time this year, he shared in a video message, “It feels new to stand on the Hong Kong stage again, and I have prepared a special performance to showcase the excitement of MAMA.”
On the second day, ‘Chapter 2’ will be hosted by actress Kim Hye-soo. Lee Young-ju, director of Chapter 1, commented, “She is someone we have long wanted to invite and is the perfect person to convey the authenticity and emotion of music to the world.” Kim Hye-soo decided to participate, believing that “music connects people’s hearts beyond language and region.” She also shared a special connection: after being moved by a past music show, she reached out to thank the writer, who is now the main writer for the MAMA Awards.

The presenter lineup features 25 stars who shone in 2025, including Go Yoon-jung, Noh Sang-hyun, Noh Yoon-seo, Park Hyung-sik, Shin Seung-hoon, Shin Ye-eun, Shin Hyun-ji,
Arden Cho, Ahn Eun-jin, Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Kwang-soo, Lee Do-hyun, Lee Soo-hyuk, Lee Jun-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Im Si-wan, Jang Do-yeon, Jeon Yeo-bin, Jo Se-ho, Jo Yu-ri, Jo Han-gyeol, Ju Ji-hoon, Cha Joo-young, Choi Dae-hoon, and Hyeri (in alphabetical order) have also been named.
Notably, Hong Kong-born Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh will join as a presenter. She became the first Asian actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 2022 film ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ Chief Director Ma Du-sik remarked, “Now that K-pop is no longer on the periphery but a global mainstream, the meeting of Michelle Yeoh and MAMA is highly symbolic.”
This year’s stage will feature a total of 27 teams, including K-pop rookies, second-generation legends, global artists, and Hong Kong artists.
Super Junior will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a ‘Legend Homage Stage,’ and Stray Kids will unveil a new track from their latest album for the first time at MAMA.
On the themed stage featuring the Korean team from ‘Street Woman Fighter 3,’ Park Bo-gum will make a surprise appearance, and Kim Hye-soo will deliver a message performance with Stray Kids’ Felix. Zerobaseone (Sung Han Bin) will join dancer KYOKA for an ‘Exclusive Theme Stage.’
Sung Han Bin commented, “The opening stage for Chapter 2 will embody ‘UH-HEUNG’ itself, with outstanding actors, singers, and hip-hop groups crossing generations and genres alongside KYOKA.” He added, “Please look forward to what kind of story Zerobaseone will create and what performances we will showcase in Hong Kong.”
An official collaboration stage with the Netflix animation ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is also planned. Real K-pop artists will recreate the battle scenes between ‘Saja Boys’ and ‘HUNTR/X’ from the animation live on stage, promising a one-of-a-kind performance that blurs the line between animation and reality.

Chief Director Ma Du-sik stated, “K-pop artists from Korea will bring Saja Boys and HUNTR/X to life, and the final lineup is currently being finalized.”

Questions were also raised about the credibility of the awards ceremony.
Park explained, “Winners are selected based on data and expert evaluation of music and albums released between October 2024 and September 2025. The judging panel consists of journalists, critics, and global experts, and transparency and fairness in voting are ensured through verification by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).”
He emphasized, “The MAMA Awards is a ceremony that has written the history of K-pop and has established K-pop’s presence in the global music market beyond Asia. This year, MAMA will be the ‘most Korean yet most global awards show,’ presenting a stage where the world comes together through excitement.”
jashin@fnnews.com Jina Shin Reporter