ATEEZ has claimed the spotlight at ‘ASEA 2026,’ taking home the prestigious Daesang and finishing the night with three awards! TVXQ also secured a triple crown, while Hearts2Hearts proved their rising popularity by winning two awards.
The ‘3rd Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2026’ (ASEA 2026) took place on the afternoon of May 17 at the Belluna Dome in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
ASEA 2026 was hosted by Korea’s leading entertainment and sports media outlet NEWSEN, celebrating its 21st anniversary, and the star and style magazine @style, celebrating its 14th anniversary, and was organized by the ASEA Organizing Committee. The event was streamed live via Naver TV, Chzzk, and the Japanese OTT platform U-NEXT.
The second day of the ceremony was hosted by actress Lee Sung-kyung and TVXQ’s Max Changmin, who showed great chemistry. Max Changmin shared, “I stood here with a heart full of anticipation to host with Sung-kyung,” while Lee Sung-kyung expressed her excitement, saying, “I’m nervous to be at this global festival, but I’ll do my best by trusting Changmin.”
The Belluna Dome was heated up by top artists who achieved dazzling results on the global stage over the past year, including TVXQ’s Max Changmin, ATEEZ, Kwon Eun-bi, Wonho, NOWZ, xikers, THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE, IKUTA TOMA, and WILD BLUE.
The highest honor of the night, the Daesang ‘ASEA RECORD OF THE YEAR,’ went to ATEEZ. Having already won ‘ASEA THE PLATINUM’ and ‘ASEA THE BEST CONCEPTUAL ARTIST,’ ATEEZ officially became triple crown winners with the Daesang.
ATEEZ showed their burning passion for the stage, stating, “We are a group that is confident in dancing until our bodies break and singing until our throats hurt in front of ATINY. We will continue to be singers who perform for you until our bodies break and our voices go hoarse.”
ATEEZ has proven their massive influence as K-pop leaders, recording their sixth million-seller album with their 13th mini album ‘GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4’ released in February, following last year’s 12th mini album ‘GOLDEN HOUR : Part.3’.
The legends who captured Asia, TVXQ, also had an unrivaled performance. TVXQ completed their triple crown by lifting the ‘ASEA TOP TOURING ARTIST’ trophy, following ‘ASEA THE GRAND LEGENDARY ARTIST OF ASIA’ and ‘ASEA THE PLATINUM’.
Max Changmin bowed to fans worldwide, saying, “Thank you so much for giving us such wonderful awards. It is all thanks to our fans, Cassiopeia in Korea and Bigeast in Japan, that we could be invited to a place where we can receive such great honors.”
In the girl group category, Hearts2Hearts showed strong momentum. They achieved two wins, taking home ‘ASEA THE BEST GROUP (FEMALE)’ and the major ‘ASEA THE PLATINUM’ award. After sweeping the top of the music charts with their new song ‘RUDE!’ in February, they said, “We thank the organizers for this valuable award, and our fans, family, and staff who always support us. We are preparing very hard for our comeback, so please look forward to our next album.”
The ‘ASEA FAN CHOICE’ category, decided by fan votes, was also highly competitive. Lee Jun-ho, praised for his roles in tvN’s ‘Typhoon Company’ and Netflix’s ‘Cashiero,’ took the ‘FAN CHOICE ARTIST (ACTOR)’ award. Lim Young-woong, who continued his syndrome with his second full-length album, won ‘FAN CHOICE ARTIST (SINGER).’ The ‘FAN CHOICE 5th GENERATION’ award went to the monster rookie AHOF. Im Yoon-ah and Lee Chae-min, who starred together in the drama ‘Tyrant’s Chef,’ grabbed the ‘FAN CHOICE COUPLE’ award.
Lee Chae-min rose to two wins, taking ‘ASEA THE BEST CHARACTER’ in addition to the couple award. He shared, “I was able to receive this award thanks to the viewers who loved the drama ‘Tyrant’s Chef’ and the fans who always support me. Thank you sincerely.”
MC Lee Sung-kyung, who also won ‘ASEA THE BEST CHARACTER,’ left a touching message: “It was thanks to the drama team who worked with me that I could create a great character. I will repay you with good works and acting.”
Additionally, ‘Waterbomb Goddess’ Kwon Eun-bi and the powerful performer Wonho both won ‘ASEA THE BEST STAGE.’ xikers, attending the ceremony for the first time, won ‘ASEA HOT ICON,’ while NOWZ won ‘ASEA HOT TREND’ for the second consecutive year.
Here is the list of winners for Day 2 of ‘ASEA 2026’:
ASEA RECORD OF THE YEAR: ATEEZ
ASEA TOP TOURING ARTIST: TVXQ
ASEA THE PLATINUM: ATEEZ, TVXQ, THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE, Hearts2Hearts
ASEA FAN CHOICE COUPLE: Im Yoon-ah, Lee Chae-min (‘Tyrant’s Chef’)
ASEA FAN CHOICE ARTIST ACTOR: Lee Jun-ho
ASEA FAN CHOICE ARTIST SINGER: Lim Young-woong
ASEA FAN CHOICE 5th GENERATION: AHOF
ASEA THE BEST CONCEPTUAL ARTIST: ATEEZ
ASEA THE BEST GROUP MALE: Stray Kids
ASEA THE BEST GROUP FEMALE: Hearts2Hearts
ASEA THE BEST OST: Sung Han-bin
ASEA THE BEST CHARACTER FEMALE: Lee Sung-kyung
ASEA THE BEST CHARACTER MALE: Lee Chae-min
ASEA THE GRAND LEGENDARY ARTIST OF ASIA: TVXQ
ASEA THE BEST STAGE JAPAN: IKUTA TOMA
ASEA THE BEST STAGE: Kwon Eun-bi, Wonho
ASEA HOT TREND: NOWZ
ASEA HOT ICON: xikers, WILD BLUE
