Watch BTS & Other Korean Celebs LIVE at Awards Shows

By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
December 19, 2019

There are just a few days left in 2019. And you know what that means, right? South Korea is getting ready to air some of its most popular awards shows. For the first time ever, international K-pop and K-drama fans (in North and South America) can watch these ceremonies LIVE at the same time as viewers are watching in Korea.

How? It’s easy, if you have a subscription to KOCOWA, because this is a special feature that’s only available to members. Some of you have already been watching K-pop LIVE at the same time as your Korean counterparts. This exclusive KOCOWA perk allows subscribers to watch weekly shows such as “Music Bank K-Chart,” “Show! Music Core” and “SBS Inkigayo” at the exact same time as the folks in South Korea.

And now, fans can watch nine of South Korea’s most popular LIVE award shows in real time. Don’t worry about figuring out the time differences. KOCOWA offers a 24-hour countdown that automatically adjusts to each subscriber’s time zone. In case you’re wondering what KBS, MBC and SBS stand for: Those are the three major broadcasting networks in South Korea.

So, let’s begin!

KBS Entertainment Awards (December 21)

Jun Hyun-moo, Son Dam-bi and Jang Dong-yoon will host the first half of this show and will be joined by Kim Joon-hyun in the latter half (to replace Jun).

Previous winners have included Bae Suzy, Park Bo-gum and Cha Tae-hyun.

SBS Gayo Daejeon Music Festival (December 25)

This show is going to be killer! Sure, U.S. fans are excited to have BTS perform at Times Square in New York City on New Year’s Eve. But BTS is scheduled to open this ceremony with a special Christmas-themed set. There will also be some interesting collabs: Hwasa and Chungha (Mamamoo); Nu’Est’s JR and GOT7‘s Jackson; and Twice‘s Tzuyu and AOA’s Seolhyun. Other notable guests include Monsta X, Apink and NCT 127.

KBS Song Festival (December 27)

BTS will show some love for KBS with their appearance at this fun festival. The lineup also includes Monsta X, NCT 127, Twice and Red Velvet. The evening’s emcees include Red Velvet‘s Irene, GOT7‘s Jinyoung and Shin Dong Yup.

SBS Entertainment Awards (December 28)

The theme for this year’s awards ceremony is Newtro — as in the newest trends among young South Koreans. The producers promise that there will be a retrospective of some of the network’s popular variety series (“Family Outing,” “X-Man”). Park Na-rae, Gim Seong-ju and Jo Jung-shik are slated to be the evening’s hosts.

MBC Entertainment Awards (December 29)

Mamamoo‘s Hwasa, Block B’s P.O. and Jun Hyun-moo are this year’s hosts. One of the most popular categories is for the Variety Show of the Year. The contenders? “Where Is My Home,” “I Live Alone,” “How Do You Play?” “Radio Star,” “The King of Mask Singer,” “On the Border Returns,” “The Manager” and “Broadcasting on Your Side.”

MBC Drama Awards (December 30)

“One Spring Night,” “Extra-Ordinary You” and “Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung” are all excellent MBC K-dramas. Will any of them win at this year’s gala? You’ll have to tune in to find out. The festivities will be hosted by model turned on-air talent Han Hye-jin and “The King of Mask Singer” emcee Kim Sung-joo.

KBS Drama Awards (December 31)

Oh boy. So there are three New Year’s Eve awards shows all starting within five minutes of each other. You can flip between each, or watch one in real time and then come back to KOCOWA to watch the other two later. For his fifth year, Jun Hyun-moo will host this popular awards show. Joining him this year is “Angel’s Last Mission:Love” star Shin Hae-sun.

MBC Music Festival  aka MBC Gayo Daejejeon (December 31)

This annual event first aired in 1966…a year when some of today’s popular idols’ parents may not have been born! Originally a singing competition, it has evolved more into a celebration of popular music. The MCs for this awards show are Jang Sung Kyu, Girls’ Generation’s Yoona and ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo. The lineup includes Kyuhyun of Super Junior, (G)Idle, Monsta X, ITZY and ASTRO.

SBS Drama Awards (December 31)

One of my favorite actresses, Jang Na-ra, will close out 2019 as co-host of this awards show. Last year, she won the Top Excellence Award for her work in “The Last Empress.” This year, she’s starring in “VIP.” Her co-host is Shin Dong-Yup.

Please note that all the talent listed are scheduled to appear. But scheduling changes may occur depending on unforseen events. These shows will not be subtitled during the LIVE broadcasts. However, all the shows will be subbed for streaming later.

Be sure to follow @GoAwayWithJae, where I tweet about all things Korean.🇰🇷