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!
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Trendy songs in South Korea: A compilation of hit songs (21–30)
Welcome to the ShowDAY6
A four-member rock band from South Korea, DAY6 has released a new song with the full lineup for the first time in about three years.
It’s a track from their 8th mini-album, “Fourever,” released in March 2024.
Incorporating elements of post-Britpop and progressive house, the song expresses gratitude and determination toward those who stand with us on the grand stage of life—thankfulness for the one who chose you, and the resolve to overcome an uncertain future.
Actors Yoo Seung-ho and Choi Hee-jin appear in the music video, enhancing its narrative feel.
It’s an uplifting piece with DAY6’s signature heart-stirring melodies and a warm message.
EpisodeLEE MU JIN
A new song released in December 2023 by South Korean singer-songwriter Lee Mujin.
It features emotive lyrics themed around beautiful memories and parting.
Lee Mujin’s characteristically gentle vocals pair exquisitely with a melody that seems to warm the heart even in the winter cold.
Conveying the purity and poignancy of being in love, this work feels as if it brings an early spring.
Its lyrics, depicting a love that tugs at the heart, are sure to resonate not only with those in love but with everyone.
The sound is bright, but the lyrics are bittersweet—why not give this sentimental track a listen?
비의 랩소디(Rhapsody of Sadness)임재현(Lim Jae Hyun)
This is a poignant love song by ballad singer Lim Jae-hyun.
The piece calmly conveys the sorrow and lingering feelings of a breakup.
Released as a digital single in December 2023, it’s a remake of a hit originally released by Choi Jae-hoon in 2000.
It topped Melon’s monthly chart in January 2024 and went on to become a long-running hit.
The beautiful lyrics, which use rain as a metaphor for sadness, are particularly striking.
Lim Jae-hyun’s emotive vocals vividly bring this bittersweet story to life.
It’s sure to resonate with anyone carrying the pain of heartbreak.
I also recommend enjoying it together with the music video.
DUETZICO, Lilas (Ikuta Rira)
This talked-about release teams up Zico—renowned as both a rapper and producer—and Lila Ikuta, one of Japan’s leading singer-songwriters.
Dropped in December 2025, the collaboration single also drew attention for its comical dance in the music video.
Riding a dazzling track that fuses hip-hop and pop to perfection, their rap and vocals playfully trade lines like a real conversation.
As their voices blend beyond borders and language barriers, just listening makes your heart lift.
It sparked a huge reaction, including a performance on the year-end Music Station SUPER LIVE 2025.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for an uplifting duet.
GO!CORTIS
CORTIS, drawing attention as the next presence following BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, is a truly young creator crew that champions “collaborative creation,” with every member handling everything from songwriting and composing to choreography.
This work is the opening intro track for their debut EP, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, released in August 2025.
It’s a hip-hop tune where razor-sharp synths race over a minimal trap beat, serving as a musical statement of intent for the group.
You can feel a powerful drive to break fixed ideas—almost as if their name’s ethos of “coloring outside the lines” has been turned directly into sound.
Listen to it when you’re starting something new; their passion will come through, and it will surely give you courage!