BTS and Stray Kids are boycotting the Grammys, while Blackpink has failed to meet the eligibility requirements for the Recording Academy's Asian pop category, Chosunbiz reports.

The development puts the biggest names in K-pop on the sidelines of the awards race. It also raises immediate questions about how the new Asian pop field will function if the genre's flagship acts either refuse participation or cannot qualify.

Why are BTS and Stray Kids sitting out?

Both groups have opted not to engage with this cycle of the Grammy process, per the report. A boycott from BTS and Stray Kids removes two of the most commercially dominant K-pop acts from contention.

That changes the competitive math. Categories where K-pop acts previously competed against Western artists now have an open lane. It also deprives the telecast of fan-driven voting and streaming surges that BTS and Stray Kids reliably generate.

What happened with Blackpink's eligibility?

Blackpink failed the eligibility test for the Asian pop category, Chosunbiz reports. The ruling means one of the most recognizable K-pop girl groups cannot enter the new field designed, at least in part, to recognize acts from the region.

The specifics of the eligibility determination were not detailed in the report. But the outcome itself is the story: the category created to give Asian pop a dedicated Grammy foothold has excluded one of its highest-profile groups in its first outing.

What does this change in the race?

The combined effect is a thinner field at the top of the K-pop and Asian pop contests. With BTS and Stray Kids boycotting and Blackpink ineligible, the categories lose their three most globally bankable Korean acts.

That opens the door for second-tier and emerging K-pop groups to secure nominations that would have been out of reach in previous cycles. For the Recording Academy, the risk is credibility: an Asian pop category that lacks BTS, Stray Kids, and Blackpink may struggle to claim it represents the genre's peak.

The voting mechanics remain unchanged. Eligible members still vote through the standard process. What has shifted is the pool of contenders — and, with it, the predictive value of a nomination in these fields.

For awards watchers, the boycott and the eligibility failure are separate stories with one shared consequence: the Grammy race in Asian pop now runs without its heaviest hitters.