Super Junior won the Daesang award at the 21st Seoul Music Awards, but had it not been for Super Junior’s influence on Hallyu, then perhaps there would have been a different outcome.

You may not be aware that the Daesang is actually voted on the day of the awards ceremony. And each year, a panel of 7 judges come together to decide on which singer(s) they feel are worthy for the biggest award. The criteria for the award is simple: the song must have been released between January 2011 and December 2011, with consideration of digital rankings and sales, mobile votes, and audience reception during the ceremony itself.

There were two rounds of discussion. After the first round, Super Junior and IU led the votes and a fierce discussion. The panel took a long time discussing and debating before finally settling on Super Junior.

Why was Super Junior chosen? The simple reason was Hallyu. Super Junior played an integral part in the Hallyu influence and judges felt that that was indeed a critical part of their decision. “The main topic last year was the K-wave spreading worldwide. As the forerunners of the globalisation of K-pop, Super Junior has been a big influence in the music industry. The combined sales figures of their 5th album and repackaged album also put them in the lead.”

They continued, “IU’s ‘Good Day’ was a big hit after it was released in 2010 and climbed to the peak of the music industry. In 2011, her song ‘You and I’ was a big hit once again and she has become a force to be reckoned with that deserves our respect. It’s just that the K-pop wave this year brought the votes slightly more towards Super Junior.”

Hats off to you, IU. You are definitely a force to be reckoned with and you definitely gave Super Junior a run for their money!

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