Trendy songs in South Korea: A roundup of hit songs
These days, K-culture—centered around K-pop—has become mainstream in Japan, hasn’t it?
One of the defining elements of K-culture is surely its music.
Here, we’ll be introducing some of the latest hit songs from Korea!
We’ve picked out tracks lighting up various charts: not only songs by popular idols, but also artists with enduring support in genres like trot and ballads, as well as Japanese songs that are gaining popularity in Korea.
There are countless amazing masterpieces, so feel free to use summaries like this as a starting point and dive deeper!
- A Korean song you often hear on TikTok. Trending K-pop.
- K-POP Popularity Rankings [2026]
- Guaranteed to hit repeat: Energetic K-pop songs that will lift your mood
- Korean karaoke songs: beloved tunes from popular ballads to K-pop
- K-POP Masterpieces & Best Hits [Latest and Classic Popular Songs + Editor’s Select]
- [Korean popular music] Popular trot songs. Masterpieces by trot singers.
- Nothing but famous and hit songs! K-pop tracks recommended for Gen Z
- K-POP and Korean tear-jerker songs: tracks that deeply resonate and bring you to tears
- [2026] Cool! K-pop dance tracks that make you want to move
- Stylish K-pop and Korean songs. Songs with a nice vibe.
- Popular K-pop and Korean songs that brighten up YouTube Shorts
- [2026] A roundup of popular K-POP hits that were trending this year
- Today's recommendation! K-pop songs
Trending songs in Korea. Hit song roundup (71–80)
Dream BusDAY6
A powerhouse band in which every member writes and composes, DAY6 delivers this track as part of their 10th-anniversary album, The DECADE, released in September 2025.
It likens the hustle and bustle of daily life to riding a bus, with dreams as the destination, expressing a firm resolve to never let go of hope.
The exhilarating pop-punk band sound and energetic vocals are refreshing, and just listening fills you with positivity.
This song is one of the lead tracks from the group’s first full-length album in about six years.
It’s brimming with their journey and their determination for the future, making it truly moving.
I hope you’ll listen to it as an anthem to cheer you on when you’re taking a new step forward.
bodyDAYOUNG
Dayoung, an artist who shines as the lead vocalist of the popular girl group WJSN, is known within the group as a bright mood-maker.
Since their debut in February 2016, she has captivated fans with her assured vocal prowess.
This track marks her solo debut as the lead song.
It’s an uptempo pop-dance number that sings of the shock of love at first sight and an instinctive magnetic pull.
A danceable beat that evokes the heat of a summer night carries a straightforward, sensuous longing.
The sound balances breezy, dance-inducing energy with the exhilarating edge of romance.
The track is included on the digital single album “gonna love me, right?” released in September 2025.
It’s a perfect song for playful nights that lift your mood.
Bye, SummerIU
A digital single by IU, a nationally beloved singer with immense popularity, released in September 2025.
Remarkably, it’s the number fans have been eagerly awaiting ever since she performed it during her 2024 world tour! IU herself wrote the lyrics and crafted the melody, releasing the song as a gift to share the end of summer with her fans.
Set against a clear, shimmering band sound, it expresses a bittersweet farewell to the passing summer and gratitude for the irreplaceable moments spent with her fans.
You can almost picture the cool breeze and twilight scenes, and feel a heart-tugging sense of poignancy.
It’s perfect for those moments at summer’s end when you want to look back on memories and sink into a slightly sentimental mood.
This work is an emotional piece that conveys IU’s deep affection for her fans.
Kakurenba (Korean Ver.)PLAVE
A pop-rock number released in September 2025 by PLAVE, the virtual idol group that debuted in 2023.
It’s the Korean version of the single that was released in Japan in July of the same year and topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
Using “hide-and-seek” as a metaphor for the passage of time and the emotional distance in the present, the song weaves together the brilliance and bittersweetness of youth over a nostalgic sound.
The band-oriented sound, crafted with the members’ own involvement, overflows with feeling and is deeply emotional—much like a real-life group.
The musicality they showcased on their mini-album ‘Caligo Pt.1’ is on full display here as well.
Perfect for when you want to feel that end-of-summer melancholy.
Never Ending StoryIU
IU’s new release.
This is a remake of a comeback song by a band originally released in 2002.
You can feel a different kind of delicacy compared to the original.
Released in May 2025, it drew strong responses in her home country as the title track of the remake album “A Flower Bookmark 3.” A beautiful ballad featuring piano and strings that sings of eternal love.
IU’s lyrical voice delivers a resonant, heartfelt vocal performance.
The music video is also a must-see, with stunning visuals that pay homage to the film “Christmas in August.”