The 28^th Golden Disk Awards ceremony is eight days away and has returned to Korea, after venturing to Malaysia in 2013. The Golden Disk Awards are considered the most prestigious of the music awards, with SM Entertainment's Super Junior topping the list as the artist with the most awards with a total of sixteen as of 2013. While the 27^th Golden Disk Awards were a two-day tribute to the success of the Hallyu Wave, the Golden Disk Awards has returned to its Korean roots in 2014. The Golden Disk Awards and the Gaon Chart K-Pop awards reflect a smaller contribution from fans and members of the music industry outside of Korea. Do the votes of a lower representation of people or delegation reflect the most talented artists?

The Golden Disk Awards are commonly referred to as Korea's answer to the Grammy Awards. The comparison with the Grammy Awards is interesting in that both awards have drawn criticism for the methodology used to determine winners, as well as the presence of bias towards specific artists and agencies. The Grammy Awards begin with a lengthy process that include the nomination of artists by the submission of recordings by record companies and individuals. Nominees then undergo a grueling process, with the final votes determined by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of America. While the Grammy Awards have evolved to reflect trends in Latin, as well as world music, Asian music and Korean pop remains absent from recognition.

The 28^th Golden Disk Awards have abandoned the attempt to connect with international audiences by returning to a Facebook page that is entirely in Korean, with limited language support on the official website. By contrast, the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards made accommodations for international fans to cast their vote, which included multilingual support and English commentary for the ceremony. As the 28^th Golden Disk Awards returns back to Korea, the focus has shifted away from courting audiences from a worldwide base.

While red carpet awards are common in Korean entertainment, the Golden Disk Awards are fraught with numerous add-on categories which can be mistaken for conciliatory awards. Past awards such as Cosmopolitan Fun & Fearless Musician Award, while well deserved, come off as prat when compared with the coveted Disk Daesang. Critics who accuse the Golden Disk Awards of bias point to the fact that SM Entertainment artists have clenched six out of seven Disk Daesang awards since 2006. Were Super Junior, Girls Generation, and TVXQ deserving of these awards or did they win due to having the largest representation of voting power?

The 3^rd Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards reflect a similar conflict in that it does not truly reflect the buying power and trends of international K-Pop fans. Purchases made through iTunes are not factored in the numbers reflected on The Gaon Singles Chart Physical disks that are purchased through retailers who do not participate in data collection, as well as those distributed by not participating companies. The 3^rd Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards succinctly reflect purchases made by Korean K-Pop fans, while sampling a smaller percentage from other areas.

Both the 3^rd Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards and the 28^th Golden Disk Awards will draw attention from audiences and industry analysts throughout the world. While some aspects of the K-Pop industry indicate a trend towards growing acceptance of international fans, there are signs that many things will remain stagnant. The 28^th Golden Disk Awards will be held at Kyung Hee University on January 16^th and will be televised on JTBC. The 3^rd Gaon K-Pop Chart Awards will take place on February 12^th with coverage by KBS.