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BTS and aespa won the two grand prizes on the opening night of the 2026 Melon Music Awards on Saturday at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, with BTS taking the 'Kakao Bank Album of the Year' and aespa winning 'Global-K Artist of the Year,' Yonhap reports. BTS achieved three awards—Album of the Year, Stage of the Year, and Global Top 10—while aespa took two, according to Yonhap and Dong-a Ilbo. The ceremony drew about 18,000 spectators, Dong-a Ilbo reports. Big Hit Music deputy CEO Kim Hyun-jung won Best Producer, thanking BTS, Chosun Ilbo reports. Korean fans and media celebrated the results as a K-pop highlight, with aespa's Winter telling the audience, "Look forward to next year too," as reported by Hankyung.