Hallyu enthusiasts worldwide have been eagerly anticipating this year’s edition of the Asia Artist Awards, and the excitement just reached a new level as the event organizers unveiled three new Pinoy fan favorites set to grace the starry event.

Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla and Melai Cantiveros have been added to the glittering roster of AAA attendees, per the announcement of the event’s co-host, StarNews Korea, via its official website on Wednesday, 18 October.

This exciting revelation comes almost two months ahead of the grand awards on 14 December at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

The list of Filipino attendees is growing formidable by the day. P-pop SB19, composed of Pablo, Stell, Ken, Justin and Josh, were previously announced as gracing the ceremony, along with up-and-coming boy group HORI7ON, a product of the Korean-Philippine audition program Dream Maker in 2023 and which has gained recognition for hits like “SIX7EEN” and “DASH.”

Established in 2016, the Asia Artist Awards has been cited as Asia’s equivalent of the Oscars and Grammys, recognizing outstanding achievements and international contributions by South Korean artists in the realms of Asian television, film and music.

For the first time ever, the awards ceremony will be hosted by the Philippines.

Since the announcement of the event in August, many Hallyu stars have been confirmed to attend, including Ahn Hyo Seop, Kim Sejeong, Kim Seon-ho, Moon Gayoung and K-pop acts like NewJeans, Le Sserafim, NMIXX, BOYNEXTDOOR and Zerobaseone.

Popular K-pop groups Stray Kids, THE BOYZ, ITZY, Eunbi Kwon and &TEAM are also set coming. They will be rubbing shoulders with drama actors, such as Lee Jun Ho, Jung Sung Il, Kim Young Dae and Lee Jun Young and more K-pop attractions such as SEVENTEEN’s Boo Seok-soon, ONEUS (One Earth), Kingdom, ATBO and LUN8.

Kathryn Bernardo’s participation in this Hallyu-centric event follows her winning the Outstanding Asian Star award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2023 in September, held at the KBS Hall in South Korea. She was recognized for her performance in the popular ABS-CBN series 2 Good 2 Be True.

Melai Cantiveros, on the other hand, is set to star in Ma’am Chief Shakedown in Seoul, a film shot in Korea. Produced by Pulp Studios, this action-comedy will reportedly have surprise cameos from Korean superstars Lee Seung-gi and Do Ji-han.