“He knows what he’s doing”— Fans applaud TXT’s Yeonjun for addressing criticism towards his solo song GGUM at the Hanteo Music Awards 2025

At the Hanteo Music Awards Day 1, Yeonjun of TXT took a moment to address the criticism he received for his solo song GGUM. On February 15, 2025, during the first day of the awards show, TXT won the prestigious Daesang award.

While accepting the award, he acknowledged the backlash he had faced. He pointed out that some people had an issue with the way he moved his hips in his dance routines. However, he reportedly declared that he would continue to move his hips even more and more freely.

He also took a moment to express gratitude for the love and support he received from fans as a solo artist and for his song GGUM. Fans were proud of him for speaking up about the hate for the first time, expressing their admiration towards him.

"YASSS YEONJUN SAY IT LOUDERRR," a fan exclaimed.

"You'll always be loved cause you really deserve it," a fan claimed.

"This icon. truly an it boy," a fan coined.

Some fans mentioned how he has stayed silent throughout all these months since the song's release, and picked out the right opportunity to speak up,

"He knows his worth and pulled his it boy energy," a fan remarked.

"This is the first time yeonjun clocked antis like this and to think that he did it after he performed ggum his solo song in multiple bbig award shows and today after winning the award... oh yeonjun you ATE. he fr dgaf about you all keep crying," a fan mentioned.

"He had remained silent but he kept on being invited to big award shows and won awards!! Be unbothered king!! another fan exclaimed.

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Yeonjun addresses criticism towards him openly for the first time

Yeonjun of TXT made waves with his first solo track, GGUM, which was released on September 19, 2024. While some fans praised his bold artistic choices, others felt the song didn't align with their expectations of him, leading to a divide within both the TXT fandom and the broader K-pop community.

Supporters quickly labeled him the "4th generation IT boy," applauding his willingness to break away from conventional K-pop trends. However, some listeners compared the track to other K-pop songs and felt it didn’t match the usual TXT sound.

The debate was especially heated on X (formerly Twitter), with some fans pointing out the irony that people often complain that K-pop sounds the same, yet when something unique is released, it faces criticism.

Despite the mixed reactions, Yeonjun’s hard work paid off when he won the Global Artist award for GGUM at the Hanteo Music Awards on February 15, 2025. This marked his first-ever solo award, making the moment even more special.

Not only did the star receive recognition, but TXT also won the Daesang for Best Performance. While accepting the award on stage with his group, Yeonjun took the microphone to directly address the criticism surrounding GGUM.

"Hello everyone, this is Yeonjun. I really didn't expect to win this, and since this is my first award for GGUM, I’m not sure what to say. But first and foremost, thank you so much to our MOAs who love GGUM. This song means the world to me because I worked so hard on it, and I cherish it like no other," he said.

He continued:

"Thanks to all the love it has received, I’ve been able to connect with fans worldwide. I know there have been a lot of mixed opinions about the choreography or the song itself, but I won’t let that affect me."

TXT also won multiple other awards, including Artist of the Year (Bonsang), Global Artist (North America), and Top Touring Artist. Other winners at the event included ENHYPEN and Day6.

Rosé of BLACKPINK, and Jimin of BTS were also notable winners.

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Yeonjun’s speech became a standout moment from the awards.