G-Dragon marked another historic moment by receiving the Order of Cultural Merit as the youngest recipient.
At the '2025 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards' ceremony held on the afternoon of the 23rd at Haeoreum Theater, National Theater of Korea, in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, G-Dragon (Kwon Ji-yong) received the Order of Cultural Merit, Ok-gwan. He was listed among the honorees alongside voice actor Bae Han-seong and the late Jeon Yoo-seong, and G-Dragon became the youngest recipient in history.
On stage he, appearing tense, caught his breath and introduced himself as the "youngest honoree, singer G-Dragon." He continued, "I took a long break from comebacks and now it will be about a year. As far as I remember, when I was about 6, my mother led me by the hand to my first audition. Since that day I have chased the same dream. In my teens I achieved the dream of becoming a singer, in my 20s I received commendations, and in my 30s I received the Order of Cultural Merit, Ok-gwan. So I'm really looking forward to my 40s," he said.
He also drew laughter with his characteristic cheerfulness, saying, "I happened to rush to the restroom and ran back, so I'm out of breath. I prepared a lot, but once I got on stage I didn't know what to say."
On stage G-Dragon again expressed pride in being a singer. He said, "Since I was young I greatly admired singers, and I still do. I am proud that I am a singer. I really like and love what I do. The seniors who made me dream were like shining stars to me every night. I grew up listening to the songs of those stars, and now I have become one of those stars. Next year the group will mark its 20th anniversary, and I want to share this honor with the members. Above all, I sincerely thank the fans," he said.
Currently on a world tour, he said with a smile, "Every day feels like a dream. I always say 'good night, sweet dreams' before I sleep as if it's nothing, and I think that has great power. When you have good dreams they sometimes become reality, and that reality can become a dream again. Even if good dreams don't necessarily become reality, don't you feel good when you have a good dream?"
Finally, joking that "it's true I'm the youngest honoree this year, but I do have a bit of seniority now," he closed the stage by saying, "I hope everyone has good dreams."
[Photo] OSEN DB / broadcast capture
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