![A J-POP song highly popular in South Korea [with a Korean-language cover too!]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/OxzdMNTJXmg/maxresdefault.webp)
A J-POP song highly popular in South Korea [with a Korean-language cover too!]
Japanese music is gaining attention among younger generations in Korea.
Of course anime plays a role, but in recent years the influence of social media has helped people enjoy music from all over the world, regardless of country.
Through things like dance collaborations between idols and programs such as the “Japan-Korea Top Ten Show,” we can feel the growing exchange between Japanese and Korean artists, as well as the spread of J-pop and Showa-era pop.
For a long time, sales of Japanese records were restricted in Korea, but now it’s great to see them becoming popular and spreading thanks to various influences.
Let’s all enjoy the J-pop that’s so popular in Korea!
Top 10 J-POP Songs Popular in Korea [With Korean Covers Too!] (1–10)
Walking with youNovelbright
This track by Osaka-based rock band Novelbright, released to the world in 2018 as the lead song from their first nationally distributed mini-album “SKYWALK,” gained momentum after a street performance video spread on social media, finding a wide audience not only in Japan but also in South Korea.
It was added to Korean karaoke catalogs, and in 2025 drew renewed attention when vocalist Yudai Takenaka performed it himself on MBN’s music variety show “Korea-Japan King of Singers” (한일가왕전).
While it’s a love song that straightforwardly voices feelings for someone special, its universal appeal lies in themes that also resonate with friendship and mutual support.
With a driving band sound and soaring high-tone vocals, this youth-drama-like number transcends language and strikes a chord at the heart.
PretenderOfisharu Higedandizumu (COVER: Hayon by fromis_9)
You can’t talk about the late 2010s and early 2020s without mentioning the hugely popular band Official HIGE DANDism and their signature song “Pretender.” With over 600 million total streams, the track has been widely covered and loved in Korea as well.
It’s said that TXT’s Taehyun is a fan, too.
fromis_9’s Hayoung’s cover also drew attention—not only does she master Fujihara’s high notes, but her vocals have a clear, mint-like quality that beautifully captures the lingering resonance and the sound of Japanese.
It’s a song that reminds us of the power of music to transcend borders and connect people.
JANE DOEYonezu Kenshi, Utada Hikaru
A collaborative track—an extraordinary pairing of Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada—serves as the ending theme for the theatrical anime film “Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc,” released in September 2025.
The cruel yet poetic imagery glimpsed in the lyrics closely mirrors the film’s tragic love story, symbolically portraying the heartache of an unattainable romance.
The arrangement is superb as well, beginning with Utada’s R&B-like phrasing and evolving in the latter half into strings and electronic sounds characteristic of Yonezu.
In South Korea, the song entered the Melon Top 100 and ranked second on the TJ Karaoke popularity chart.
Numerous Korean-language cover videos have been posted, and lyric-translation sites feature careful, line-by-line annotations—evidence that the song is loved not only by anime fans but by a wide range of music listeners.
IRIS OUTYonezu Kenshi
A song by Kenshi Yonezu written as the theme for the feature film Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc.
In South Korea, it became the first-ever Japanese-language track by a solo artist to enter Melon’s Top 10, and it also achieved the remarkable feat of reaching No.
5 on the Circle Digital Chart.
As a renewed collaboration following the previous hit KICK BACK, this track—created, according to behind-the-scenes accounts, while intensely studying the manga’s pages featuring Reze—captures a propulsive energy that meshes with the film’s dramatic developments, resonating strongly with Korean listeners.
With a flurry of cover videos by Korean singers as well, it’s clear the song is being embraced on the same field as K-pop.
Riding the wave of anime’s popularity across borders, it stands as a number that points to new possibilities for J-pop.
lilacMrs. GREEN APPLE
Produced as a back-to-basics guitar rock track, this song was released in April 2024 as the opening theme for the anime “Oblivion Battery.” Entrusting the bittersweetness of youth and the pains of growing up to the language of flowers, the track became the band’s fastest to surpass 100 million total streams.
It also earned them their first-ever consecutive wins at the 66th Japan Record Awards.
Numerous lyric-explanation posts and guitar cover videos have been created, and at their first solo concert in Korea, held in Seoul in February 2025, the audience broke into a massive sing-along in Japanese.
Its message—about the importance of loving yourself, scars and all—is recommended for anyone wrestling with the struggles of youth.
BetelgeuseYuuri
Yuri, who has delivered numerous heart-stirring songs, released this massive hit in November 2021.
Betelgeuse, too, stirs up powerful emotions with her signature high-energy vocals and lyrics that resonate deeply.
Speaking of Yuri, she has collaborated with Korean artists, and many of her songs have been widely covered.
This track gained popularity through TikTok short videos, ranked on the Apple Music charts, and was even covered by SEVENTEEN’s DK.
Its romantic, emotionally rich lyrics may be another reason for its wide appeal.
It’s a coming-of-age song that makes you feel that friendship and human connections can become an irreplaceable source of brilliance.
BetelgeuseYuuri (COVER: KangNam)
Yuri’s smash hit that sold out his solo concert in Korea in the blink of an eye.
J-pop has long been popular in Korea and has been covered by many artists, and KangNam’s cover released in August 2024 is also a huge hit in his home country.
It has continued to rank on the YouTube charts even into 2025.
While the emotional chorus evokes Yuri, the natural nuances draw you in.
Centered on the verse sections, KangNam’s signature soft, beautiful voice really shines.
It’s sure to let you enjoy a charm that’s different from the original.