International pop sensation Bangtan Boys (BTS) wins Daesang, the top honor at South Korea's Golden Disc Awards.
South Korea has many award-giving bodies, but the highest honor, considered the Grammy of the East Asian nation, is the Golden Disc Awards (GDA). The 32<sup>nd GDA was held at the Kintex Center in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea on Jan. 10 and 11.
The GDA Daesang for Album of the Year is the first for the seven-member boy group, which was launched in 2013 by BigHit Entertainment. The award was for their fifth mini-album, "Love Yourself: Her," which the group got to promote not just in Asia but also in the United States in recent months.
For their acceptance speech, group leader RM (Kim Nam-joon) was first up to thank their fans, particularly their so-called ARMY.
"ARMY," RM began. "You're watching, right? We really love you!"
Each member then took turns voicing out their gratitude to supporters and producers, with a special mention for BigHit CEO Bang Si Hyuk. Who really stood out, however, was the group's maknae, or youngest member, Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook).
The 20-year-old idol has always been shy during awards shows, and all the members looked surprised when Jungkook headed to the mic on his own. The maknae explained he promised his mother that he would thank his parents if they receive the top award, and he did.
Apart from the Daesang, BTS received two other awards for physical album sales and for their hit single "Spring Day."
Meantime, the nation's sweetheart IU (Lee Ji-eun), won the other Daesang for Song of the Year for her ballad "Through the Night."
BTS' rival, EXO, took home the most number of awards with four, including CeCi Asia Icon award and Global Popularity Award.
Other awardees include Super Junior, Twice, Girls' Generation, BLACKPINK, Red Velvet, Seventeen, NU'EST W, Monsta X, GOT7, and Hwang Chi Yeol, among others.
