61st Baeksang Arts Awards: Fans demand disqualification of Hyeri, IU, Kim Hye Yoon; here’s why

The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards is set to be aired soon, seeking which a fresh controversy has surfaced looping in the Popularity Awards questioning the purity in the voting process. On April 23, 2025, the Baeksang Awards board announced a 10-day voting time through the PRIZM app, and choose their favourite male and female actors as nominees in both TV and film categories.

According the parameters set by the voting system, a user can cast only four votes per day and can avail additional votes by posting their authenticated certificate page.

Baeksang Awards: Frontrunners

Initially, the thrill amidst the fans grew as nominations encompassing 35 men and 35 women in both the categories were being announced in mid-April. The highlights included Hyeri (Victory), IU (When Life Gives You Tangerines), and Kim Hye Yoon (Lovely Runner), who have received the major share of the votes.

As of now, the voting process have been facing heavy criticism after clips revealed the classified ‘macro programs,’ backed with automated scripts for fabricating voting results. These clips suggested that female nominees have been channelising these filtered votes into their account. Hyeri, IU, and Kim Hye Yoon, are at the forefront with 2-3 million votes each, further questioning the legitimacy of the voting procedure.

Resultantly, many are rooting for the immediate disqualification of the best performing nominees (Hyeri, IU, and Kim Hye Yoon) if the breach is verified. While many had suggested that the show should be completely scrapped off.

Amidst the ongoing scandal, the official team of the Baeksang Awards is yet to publish an official statement against the allegations.