[May Netizens Awards] Koo Chang-mo Defends 1st Place After 'Neck-and-Neck' Battle with Cho Yong-pil... Wins 2nd Consecutive Grand Star Award

In the May Netizens Awards Grand Star category, Koo Chang-mo fought off the fierce pursuit of the king of singers, Cho Yong-pil, and retained the top spot for the second consecutive month. From Koo Chang-mo, who defended his throne based on the strong firepower of his fandom, to the lower-ranked legends, the fans' fervent voting enthusiasm was clearly reflected across the entire rankings.

[1st to 3rd Place: Koo Chang-mo's Defense and Cho Yong-pil's Fierce Pursuit] Koo Chang-mo captured a total of 5,379 votes (33.2% share), earning the honor of winning for two consecutive months following last month. The biggest highlight of this May vote was the unprecedented neck-and-neck race for the lead. Cho Yong-pil, who took second place, swept 5,276 votes (32.6%), closely chasing Koo Chang-mo right up to the wire. The gap between the two artists was a mere 103 votes, or just a 0.6 percentage point difference in share, creating a thrilling, closely contested match. Kim Wan-sun secured 1,637 votes (10.1%), unchangingly keeping her 3rd place spot and cementing one axis of the top-tier lineup.

• *[Middle-Upper Tier: The Unwavering Strength of Legends]**
• Even in the middle-upper tier, the fans' voting enthusiasm toward legendary artists continued.
• 4th Place: Lee Sun-hee (1,114 votes, 6.9%)
• 5th Place: Na Hoon-a (781 votes, 4.8%)
• 6th Place: Nam Jin (590 votes, 3.6%)
• 7th Place: Kim Kyung-ho (315 votes, 1.9%)

• *[Middle-Lower Tier: Fierce Competition Decided by Decimal Points]**
• Fierce ranking competition also unfolded between 8th and 12th place, the waist section of the rankings.
• 8th Place: Lee Eun-ha (236 votes, 1.5%)
• 9th Place: Shin Seung-hun (217 votes, 1.3%)
• 10th Place: Lee Mi-ja (189 votes, 1.2%) - Successfully entered the top 10 by pulling up her rank compared to last month
• 11th Place: Ha Chun-hwa (171 votes, 1.1%)
• 12th Place: Kim Yeon-ja (61 votes, 0.4%) - Leaping upward while gaining momentum

• *[Lower Tier: The Solid Supporting Fire of the Fandom]**
• The lower tier rankings were also filled with a tense race amidst the fans' support for the legends.
• 13th Place: Joo Hyun-mi (56 votes, 0.3%)
• 14th Place: Lim Jae-beom (44 votes, 0.3%)
• 15th Place: Song Chang-sik (31 votes, 0.2%)
• 16th Place: Kim Bum-ryong (30 votes, 0.2%)
• 17th Place: Bae Chul-soo (30 votes, 0.2%)
• 18th Place: Lee Seung-hwan (27 votes, 0.2%)
• 19th Place: Hye-eun-i (13 votes, 0.1%)
• 20th Place: Kim Jang-hoon (10 votes, 0.1%)

As the voting enthusiasm for the Grand Star category reached its peak due to Koo Chang-mo's defense and Cho Yong-pil's pursuit, the public's attention is now focused on the sparkling firepower battle between the masters that will unfold in the June race.

[Votes shares of 0.1% or less are not displayed.]