K-pop Concerts in Seoul in December 2026: MAMA Is in Osaka, MMA Is in November
If you are pricing flights for K-pop in Seoul in December 2026, check two dates before you pay. MAMA 2026 is not in Korea: it runs 20 and 21 November at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan. The Melon Music Awards are not in December: they run 14 and 15 November at Gocheok Sky Dome (고척스카이돔) in Seoul. That leaves December with the three TV networks' year-end shows, and on 23 September none of them had announced a 2026 date or venue.
We checked every claim below on 23 September 2026: the organisers' announcements, the 2025 audience rules on MBC's own site, and 42 December pop concerts we pulled from KOPIS, Korea's national performance registry, for Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon. Where something is not announced, we say so instead of guessing.
Detailed guides for this month: Melon Music Awards 2026 lineup: the 8 acts also at KGMA
Where will MAMA 2026 be held?
CJ ENM announced on 31 March 2026 that the 2026 MAMA AWARDS take place on 20 to 21 November at KYOCERA DOME OSAKA, with a worldwide live stream on Mnet Plus. No ticket details were in that announcement. If your whole December trip was built around MAMA, it is a Japan trip in November, not a Seoul trip in December.
Osaka is a short flight from Seoul, so a combined trip is possible, but the award show falls about two weeks before the first December shows below.
When are the Melon Music Awards 2026?
MMA 2026 is on 14 and 15 November at Gocheok Sky Dome, the domed baseball stadium in south-west Seoul. It is the first time the show runs over two days. Ticket prices and the booking date had not been announced when we checked.
Gocheok Sky Dome during a 2019 baseball game. Photo: Trainholic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Which Korean year-end award shows are in December?
The three network shows are the December ones. Here is where each stood on 23 September 2026, with the 2025 edition for reference only. A 2025 venue tells you nothing certain about 2026.
| Show | 2026 status | 2025 edition |
|---|---|---|
| SBS Gayo Daejeon (SBS 가요대전) | Year-end date not announced. The 2026 summer edition was on 9 August at KINTEX | 25 December, Inspire Arena, Incheon |
| KBS Song Festival (KBS 가요대축제) | Not announced | 19 December, Songdo Convensia, Incheon |
| MBC Gayo Daejejeon (MBC 가요대제전) | Not announced | 31 December from 20:50, MBC Dream Center, Ilsan |
| MAMA AWARDS | 20 to 21 November, Osaka | Not a December show in 2026 |
| Melon Music Awards | 14 to 15 November, Gocheok Sky Dome | Not a December show in 2026 |
So if you book December flights today, you are putting a non-refundable fare on a date nobody has announced. A flexible or refundable fare is the safer choice until the networks announce.
How do you get into a network year-end show?
These are TV broadcasts with a studio audience, not concerts you buy on NOL. The only full rules we could read on an official page were MBC's for 2025, so treat them as a pattern, not a promise for 2026:
- Applications opened on 17 December and closed on 22 December, six days in total, nine days before the 31 December broadcast.
- Entry was for age 15 and over.
- Winners showed the winning text message plus their own ID with a date of birth. MBC listed a Korean resident card, a student ID with a photo, or a passport.
- No entry or exit once the broadcast started.
The notice says nothing about whether overseas fans can apply. Because the winning notice arrives as a text message, you may need a phone number that can receive Korean texts; that is our reading of the process, not something MBC states. We could not find SBS's or KBS's 2025 audience rules on an official page, so we do not describe them here. If you want a studio audience experience with a fixed weekly date instead, the weekly TV music shows in Seoul run on a regular schedule.
Are there K-pop concerts in and around Seoul in December 2026?
Fewer than you might expect. Of the 42 pop and rock shows registered with KOPIS for December in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon on 23 September, 39 start in December, and only 1 is an idol act. Most are Korean ballad singers, festivals and overseas artists. These already have dates and ticket pages:
| Date | Artist | Venue | Price range | Sold on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 to 6 Dec | Lee Chang-sub (BTOB), solo | Goyang Aram Nuri (고양아람누리) | 110,000 to 154,000 won ≈$111 | Ticketlink |
| 12 to 13 Dec | GUMMY | Jangchung Arena (장충체육관), Seoul | 121,000 to 165,000 won ≈$119 | Ticketlink, Naver, NOL |
| 18 to 20 Dec | wave to earth | Korea University Hwajeong Gym (화정체육관), Seoul | 132,000 to 143,000 won ≈$103 | NOL, Melon Ticket |
| 5 Dec and 6 Dec | Khalid, then FKJ | KINTEX, Goyang | FKJ standing 143,000 won ≈$103 | NOL |
Prices are the tiers listed in KOPIS on 23 September, before booking fees. Whether each site takes an overseas card is a separate question; our guide to buying concert tickets in Korea as a foreigner covers it. For the full list, see our Seoul concert schedule for September to December 2026.
What should you do before booking December flights?
- Decide whether MAMA or MMA is the reason for the trip. If it is, you are travelling in November, and MAMA is in Japan.
- If you want a network show, keep your dates open until SBS, KBS and MBC announce. In 2025 the MBC window was only six days long.
- Carry your passport as your ID for any show you do get into. MBC accepted it in 2025.
- Book a concert that already has a date if you need something fixed, from the table above.
Related guides
- K-pop Concerts in Seoul, October 2026: What Is Still On, What Moved, and When to Buy
- Is KSPO Dome Bigger Than Inspire Arena? Seoul Venue Capacities, From the Operators' Own Pages
- KSPO DOME Seoul: Seat Map, Bag Rules, and Getting Home
Questions people ask
Is MAMA 2026 in Korea or Japan?
Japan. CJ ENM announced Kyocera Dome Osaka for 20 and 21 November 2026.
Can foreigners get tickets to SBS Gayo Daejeon or MBC Gayo Daejejeon?
For 2026, nothing is announced yet. In 2025 MBC ran a free audience application with a text message and ID check, and did not say whether overseas applicants were eligible.
When do Melon Music Awards 2026 tickets go on sale?
Not announced as of 23 September 2026. The show is on 14 and 15 November at Gocheok Sky Dome.
What K-pop concerts are in Seoul in December 2026?
Lee Chang-sub of BTOB on 5 and 6 December in Goyang is the only idol concert registered so far. GUMMY and wave to earth also play Seoul in December.
Checked on 2026-09-23. Award show dates come from organiser announcements; the concert list comes from KOPIS and will grow as more shows register.
Dollar figures are approximate, converted at about 1,385 won to the US dollar (2026-08-27). Rates move — treat them as a rough guide.
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