KBS Gayo Daechukje 2018, KBS Gayo Daechukje 2018

KBS Gayo Daechukje, also known as KBS Gayo Daejun, is an annual year-end music program held on December 30th by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS),replacing the KBS Music Awards. Starting from 1965, it was broadcasted on Dongyang Broadcasting (TBC) and was known as the earliest music awards ceremony. After the merger of TBC and KBS, the program's name was changed from TBC Broadcast Musician Awards to KBS Musician Awards. After the merger, the program was aired on KBS 1TV on December 30th every year, and the advertising continued on this channel until 1994. Since then, the program has been officially broadcasted on KBS 2TV since 1994. Until 1986, artists formed either male or female groups, but from 1987, the rules changed where only one member of the group would receive the award. Until 2005, the annual program criteria were extended. However, for some undisclosed reason, the program's name was once again changed to KBS Artist Festival (KBS Gayo Daechukje). Along with the name change, the rules were also modified, and artists could receive special awards. After this change, another rule was introduced in 2009, where "viewers can vote for outstanding artists" through text messages, and this continues until now.

This year's program featured performances by BTS, EXO, TWICE, GOT7, Red Velvet, SEVENTEEN, NCT, Momoland, and more. Despite the participation of many top K-pop names, KBS Gayo Daechukje 2018 still disappointed the audience. Compared to other station festivals, KBS Gayo Daechukje 2018 was evaluated as lacking in scale and grandeur.