The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2018 in music in South Korea.
Notable achievements and events
January 10–11 – IU and BTS win the digital and album daesangs, respectively, at the 32nd Golden Disc Awards. February 25 – CL and Exo headline the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, serving as representatives of K-pop at the event. February 28 – At the annual Korean Music Awards, BTS, Kang Tae-gu, and Hyukoh win the grand prizes. April 1 and 3 – The Spring is Coming Korean cultural diplomacy concert takes place in Pyongyang, North Korea, which featured performances from various South Korean musicians including Cho Yong-pil, Red Velvet, Lee Sun-hee, Baek Ji-young, and Seohyun. April 20 – The Korea Music Content Association launches new certification system for albums, downloads, and streaming in South Korea. May 27 – Love Yourself: Tear by BTS becomes the first K-pop album to top the Billboard 200, as well as the highest-charting album by any Asian act. May 28 – Twice's "Wake Me Up" becomes the first single by a foreign female artist to be certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). May 29 – BTS's "Fake Love" becomes the first K-pop song to enter the top-ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and the 17th non-English song to do so in the chart's history. June 16 – "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" by Blackpink records 36.2 million views on YouTube video within 24 hours, setting a new record by a Korean act. June 25 – Blackpink's "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" and Square Up simultaneously become the highest-charting song and album by a K-pop girl group in the US at the time. August 8 – Red Velvet's "Power Up" become the first ever song by an SM Entertainment artist to achieve Perfect All-Kill on the . October 24 – The 9th government-run Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards take place. Kim Min-ki, Jo Dong-jin, Gim Jeong-taek, and BTS are awarded with the Order of Cultural Merit; BTS were the youngest recipients of the honor in South Korean history. Yoon Sang is awarded with the Presidential Commendation and Kang San-ae and Choi Jin-hee receive the Prime Mister's Commendation. November 5 – Twice become the fastest K-pop girl group to reach 20 million views on YouTube with "Yes or Yes", doing so in 10 hours and 27 minutes. November 9 – "Mic Drop" (Steve Aoki remix) is certified platinum by the RIAA, making BTS the first Korean group with a platinum-certified single in the US. November 12 – Exo becomes the first group to surpass 10 million total album sales in South Korea. December 1 – At the annual Melon Music Awards, iKon and BTS win the grand prizes. December 10, 12, 14 – The 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards are held in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong over the course of a week. BTS and Twice receive the grand prizes at the ceremony. According to Forbes, "the South Korean music market experienced a 17.9% increase in revenue growth in 2018, and it was described as 'shifting from 'potential' to 'power' player'" on the global stage.
Award shows and festivals
Award ceremonies +2018 music award ceremonies in South KoreaDateEventHostJanuary 10–1132nd Golden Disc AwardsIlgan Sports and JTBC PlusJanuary 2527th Seoul Music AwardsSports SeoulFebruary 286th Korean Music AwardsKorean Music Awards CommitteeOctober 249th Korean Popular Culture and Arts AwardsKorea Creative Content AgencyNovember 61st Genie Music AwardsMBC Plus and Genie MusicNovember 283rd Asia Artist AwardsMoney Today, StarNews and MTNDecember 110th Melon Music AwardsKakao MDecember 10, 12, 1420th Mnet Asian Music AwardsCJ E&M (Mnet)
Festivals +2018 televised music festivals in South KoreaDateEventHostOctober 2–3Asia Song FestivalKorea Foundation for International Culture ExchangeDecember 25SBS Gayo DaejeonSeoul Broadcasting System (SBS)December 28KBS Song FestivalKorean Broadcasting System (KBS)December 31MBC Gayo DaejejeonMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)
Debuting and disbanding in 2018 Debuting groups
Ateez D-Crunch DreamNote Fanatics - Flavor Forestella Fromis 9 (G)I-dle Girlkind Gugudan SeMiNa GWSN Honey Popcorn Iz*One JBJ95 Loona Maywish Nature NeonPunch Noir NTB Oh!GG Pristin V Saturday Spectrum Stray Kids Target UNB Uni.T W24 We Girls WJMK
Solo debuts
Ash Island Elkie Haon Ha Hyun-woo Holland Hoya Hynn Jennie J-Hope Jin Longguo Jung Il-hoon Katie Key Kim Dong-han Lee Chang-sub Leo Mino Moonbyul Onew Zior Park Sohee Sori Son Dong-woon Sooyoung twlv Vinxen Wheein Yoo Seon-ho Youra Yubin Yuju Yuri
Disbandments
Drunken Tiger Fiestar Homme JBJ Kiha & The Faces Melody Day Mr.Mr NU'EST W NRG Rainz SSAW Stellar Tahiti The East Light Triple H Trouble Maker Uni.T
Releases in 2018
First quarter
January + Date Album Artist(s) Genre(s) Ref 1 Play in Nature Part.3 Snow Flake Kim Kyu-jong Ballad 2 Who Am I TRCNG Dance 3 Great! Momoland Dance, Pop Dream of Paradise Kriesha Chu Dance, Ballad The Hottest: N.Flying N.Flying Rock 5 R.ebirth 2016 Ravi Hip hop 8 Top Seed Infinite Dance, Ballad Re:Montage Block B Ballad, Dance Mixtape Stray Kids Dance, Hip hop 9 Secret Garden Oh My Girl Dance 10 Match Up MXM Hip hop 11 Reply Kim Dong-ryul Ballad 15 Bye Jang Wooyoung Folk, Dance 16 Seasons The Barberettes Folk 17 Offset Chungha Dance, Ballad True Colors JBJ Dance, Ballad 19 Trapart Sik-K Hip hop Prison Playbook OST OST22 Nirvana Ravi Hip hop Two Cops OST OST, Ballad23 Poet Artist Jonghyun R&B, Dance Shake You Up Rainz Dance 24 To. Heart Fromis 9 Dance After Jeong Se-woon R&B, Ballad Alive Target Dance Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me OST OST, Ballad25 Return iKon Hip hop &10 Davichi Ballad 26 3 Jo Jung-chi Folk Monthly Project 2017 Yoon Jong-shin Yoon Jong-shin Ballad, R&B 29 Faces of Love Suzy Ballad, R&B Spotlight VAV Dance, Ballad Miracle Golden Child Dance, Ballad The Perfect Red Velvet Red Velvet R&B, Pop 30 Go Won Go Won (Loona) Dance Rain or Shine OST OST, Ballad Jugglers OST OST, Ballad 31 Tunnel Paul Kim R&B, Ballad
February +DateAlbumArtist(s)Genre(s)Ref1 Don't Be Pretty 14U Dance Act. 4 Cait Sith Gugudan Dance 3 Money Flower OST OST, Ballad 4 Bad Guys 2 OST OST, Pop-rap 5 Director's Cut Seventeen Dance, Ballad 8 Baby Funk Naul Neo soul, Funk 12 Mi Amor CocoSori Pop, Dance 13 Golden Slumber OST OST, Ballad19 Back Yang Yo-seob R&B, Ballad Spring Again Jung Seung-hwan Ballad 20 One Shot, Two Shot BoA Dance, Hip hop 21 Lucky Weki Meki Dance 22 Black Dress CLC Dance, Electronica 26 10 Stories Kim Sung-kyu Rock, Ballad Mamma Mia! SF9 Dance, Ballad 27 Dream Your Dream Cosmic Girls Dance The Second Take Ballad 28 28 Identity Cheetah Hip hop
March +DateAlbumArtist(s)Genre(s)Ref2 Hope World J-Hope Hip hop Identity Sleepy Hip hop Fountain Jooyoung R&B 3 A Korean Odyssey OST OST, Ballad7 Yellow Flower Mamamoo Ballad, R&B 4 the YouthJusthis & Paloalto Hip hop, Rap8 Wish & Wind Heize Hip hop, R&B Big Wave Jung Il-hoon Hip hop Singing Dancing W24 Rock 12 Eyes on You Got7 Dance, R&B The Blue April Dance 13 Only Human Junoflo Hip hop 14 Evolution Forestella Ballad NCT 2018 Empathy NCT Dance, Hip hop Portrait Peakboy Hip hop Made in Bangkok Skull Pop-rap, Reggae 15 Invitation UP10TION Dance, Ballad 17 Begin Again Jo Kwan-woo Ballad 19 0+1=1 (I Promise You) Wanna One Dance, Ballad 20 Misty OST OST, Ballad 21 Bibidi Babidi Boo Honey Popcorn Dance 22 Into the Light Solid R&B Return OST OST, Rock 26 The Connect: Dejavu Monsta X Hip hop I Am Not Stray Kids Hip hop 28 New Chapter No. 1: The Chance of Love TVXQ Dance, Ballad One Samuel Dance, R&B Shower Hoya R&B, Dance Sound Doctrine Naul Neo soul, R&B 29 Fiancée Jung Joon-young Ballad Parkjiyoon 20th Anniversary Photo&Live Album Park Ji-yoon Ballad 30 Olivia Hye Olivia Hye (Loona)Electronic
Second quarter
April +DateAlbumArtist(s)Genre(s)Ref 1 People Said Break It Up Gavy NJ Ballad 2 Positive Pentagon Pop-rap, Ballad Banana Allergy Monkey Oh My Girl Banhana Dance, Ballad Lady EXID Dance 3 The Start The Boyz Dance, R&B Do Worry Be Happy Primary, Anda Electronica 4 Everyday Winner Ballad, Hip hop 5 Foundation Vol.4 Basick Pop-rap 6 Light Microdot Pop-rap 7 Boyhood UNB Dance, Ballad 8 Dream; Fly Heo Young-saeng R&B, Ballad 9 What Is Love? Twice Dance, Bubblegum Twenty's Noir Noir Dance, R&B The Book of John: Part.1 JK Kim Dong-wook Ballad 10 Color of Dream Hyeongseop X Euiwoong Ballad, Dance Blooming Days Exo-CBX Dance, Pop 4.10 MHz Youngjun Ballad 11 Honestly Eric Nam Dance, Ballad Spring, Seonho Yoo Seon-ho Ballad The Bright Sky Lee Chang-min Ballad, R&B 12 Replay Super Junior Dance Telescope Reddy Hip hop 16 Void The Rose Pop rock 17 Eau de VIXX VIXX Dance, R&B New Moon JBJ Dance, Hip hop 19 Miracle Apink Ballad Play in Nature Kim Kyu-jong Ballad Snapshot IN2IT Dance 23 Heal Lovelyz Dance, Ballad Evergreen OST OST, Ballad 24 Be Myself Hwang Chi-yeul Ballad Blossom Snuper Dance, Synthpop Solar Sensitivity Part.6 Solar Folk, Ballad 30 Time for the Moon Night GFriend Dance, Ballad
May +DateAlbumArtist(s)Genre(s)Ref 1 Angel IZ Rock, Dance 2 I Am (G)I-dle Dance, Ballad 8 Zero Cross Gene Dance, R&B Seoul Night Teen Top Dance, Ballad Recipe Ben Ballad, R&B 9 Goodbye 20's Yong Jun-hyung Dance, R&B 367 Baechigi Pop-rap Be Born Spectrum Dance Long Way Peppertones Indie pop, Alternative rock Smelting Vinxen Hip hop 10 Love Loves To Love Love Favorite Dance Forever Yours Kim Yeon-woo Ballad, R&B Escape The Era Dreamcatcher Dance, Rock 15 Repetition Kanto Hip hop 16 How Are You? N.Flying Pop rock 18 Line Uni.T Dance, Ballad Love Yourself: Tear BTS Pop-rap, Dance 21 Goødevil Ja Mezz Hip hop 23 Time of Sorrow Victon Dance Love Story TST Dance 24 Re;mind J'Kyun Hip hop Love Flutters The East Light Dance, Red Diary Page.2 Bolbbalgan4 Indie rock 25 Bonnie N Clyde 24K Dance, R&B 28 The Story of Light EP.1 Shinee Dance, Electronica Bingle Bangle AOA Dance Like a V Pristin V Dance Dramatic NTB Dance 30 20 South Club Indie rock Beauty & the Beat Loona yyxy Dance, Ballad Teenager Samuel Dance, R&B Le Dernier Amour Lee Sun-hee Ballad 31 24: How to Find True Love and Happiness Hyukoh Indie rock
June +DateAlbumArtist(s)Genre(s)Ref 4 1÷x=1 (Undivided) Wanna One Dance, Ballad 5 To. Day Fromis 9 Dance 7 You Complete Me ONF Dance, Ballad A.C.E Adventures in Wonderland Ace Dance, Hip hop 11 The Story of Light EP.2 Shinee Electronica, Dance Dnsg Changmo Pop-rap 12 Grapes Busters Dance, Hip hop 14 [Present] Woo Jin-young, Kim Hyun-soo Dance 15 Square Up Blackpink Dance, Trap Darkroom Simon Dominic Pop-rap Moolood Gang Tape Superbee, twlv Hip hop 18 This Is Us BtoB Ballad, Dance Something New Taeyeon R&B, Dance Trigger (EP) Lee Joo-min K-pop 19 D-Day Kim Dong-han Dance 20 Something in the Rain OST OST 22 Jaurim Jaurim Alternative rock, Pop 25 Who, You NU'EST W Dance, Ballad The Story of Light EP.3 Shinee R&B, Ballad 26 Fun to the World Momoland Dance, Pop, Electropop Shoot Me: Youth Part 1 Day6 Pop rock K1tchen Ravi Hip hop Jinah Restaurant Full Course Lee Jin-ah Jazz, Jazz rap 27 Moonlight NeonPunch Dance 28 Summer Dream Elris Dance Black Heart UNB Dance, Ballad The Seasons Revolve - Summer Jun Jin Ballad 29 Moolood Gang Tape II Superbee, twlv Hip hop
Third quarter
July