The event was attended by Korea Online Press Photographers Association (KOPA) President Kim Han-jun and Vice President Paeng Hyun-jun, along with Nikon Imaging Korea CEO Jung Hae-hwan, aespa's Karina, and others. Comedian Yoo Jae-pil served as the host.
The '2026 KOPA & NIKON Press Photo Awards' is an awards ceremony that features all photos captured by members of the Korea Online Press Photographers Association in the field over the past year. Winners were selected through a vote by all members of the association across the Photogenic, Sports, and Entertainment categories. The Journalist of the Year awards went to Paeng Hyun-jun of Sports Today (Best in Sports), Han Hyuk-seung of MyDaily (Excellence in Sports), Ahn Sung-hoo of TV Daily (Best in Entertainment), Kim Han-jun of Xportsnews (Excellence in Entertainment), and JTBC Enter News reporter Park Se-wan, who captured the winning shot of aespa's Karina in the Photogenic category.
(SBS Entertainment News | Baik Seung-Chul)