Korea is a trendsetting nation in every sense of the phrase. For instance, Korea is known for its nearly unmatched food culture and it seems that a new food item is released or trending every other day.

Would you try mint-chocolate-flavored fried chicken? Are you curious about the endless varieties of croffle that seem to be available in Korea? These are some of the food trends that took precedent in Korea in recent years. As we've said, however, the food trends in Korea are always changing. As such, we've decided to look at some of the most recent ones.

In case you missed it, we've listed some of the foods that went viral in Korea in 2023 and were endorsed by some of your favorite celebrities.

 

1. Tanghuru

Tanghuru (탕후루 in Korean) is a Chinese traditional snack that has taken Korea by storm. The snack, which is made from fruits covered in a sugar coating, can be found at almost every corner of the city. Some of the fruits used to make tanghuru include grapes, cherry tomatoes, tangerines, strawberries, pineapples, kiwiㄴ, etc.

K-Celebs have been showing their love for this snack throughout the year as it has gained popularity. It has become trendy content to show yourself eating tanghuru for the first time, 새ㅐ.

For example, when Chuu tried tanghuru for the first time, she explained how she had never eaten it before because of how unhealthy it looked but ended up saying it was delicious.

Recently, model Han HyeJin also went viral for her reaction to the super sweet treat considering that she's a health fanatic. Despite not usually eating sweet things, even Han HyeJin was surprised at how much she enjoyed this treat.

Even BLACKPINK's JiSoo and Jennie are known for loving the snack and making it at home. In this video, the duo expertly speak about how important the sugar ratio of good tanghuru is. This video was taken 3 years ago, before tanghuru became extremely popular. Trust the trendsetting icons to be ahead of the trend!

 

2. Yakgwa

Yakgwa (약과 in Korean) is a Korean traditional dessert in the form of a honey cookie. It has a coated sweet exterior and a warm slightly gooey texture on the inside that tastes like honey delight.

2AM's Jo Kwon did a detailed review of the different kinds of yakgwa treats that are available at the moment. This includes the original yakgwa, financiers, cookies, pretzels, cake, and more. He truly showed how delectable the dessert is with some honest and entertaining commentary. Jo Kwon's video also highlighted how the yakgwa trend spread as the traditional dessert took on numerous modern adaptations. These days one can even find yakgwa ice cream at the convenience store!

 

3. Sogeum bbang

Sogeum bbang (소금빵 in Korean) is literally translated to 'salt bread' and is a combination of different bread styles to create a salted butter roll. It has been all the rage with different versions of the bread being sold all over Korea.

In an episode of "I Live Alone", famous golfer Park SeRi ventured to a popular bakery in the Seongsu neighborhood of Seoul in search of sogeum bbang. Unfortunately, the hot item was already sold out. This only shows how popular this pastry is.

Other K-Celebs have also shown their love for their bread, posting it on their social media feeds. For example, DAVICHI's Kang MinKyung has posted several times on her Instagram (both on her Instastories and her feed) about the bread. She even took to her Instastory, sharing a photo of sogeum bbang and asking why there are so many delicious things to eat in this world. Well, that's a question that we're all asking ourselves!

 

4. Mara tteokbokki

Last but not least, we have mara tteokbokki. If rosé tteokbokki and maratang were the food trends in Korea in 2022... 2023 is all about mara tteokbokki which combines the classic tteokbokki with mara sauce. Mara sauce gives off a spicy but slightly tangy and flavorsome taste. This tteokbokki combines the mara sauce with the usual offerings that go into a maratang such as meat, tofu ingredients like noodles, and more.

OH MY GIRL's Mimi ate mara tteokbokki on her famous mukbang channel quite recently. Despite the dish being super spicy, Mimi kept emphasizing how tasty the dish was. It's no wonder that it has become so popular, especially among fans of spicy foods.

Would you try any of the foods that we mentioned? Let us know which one you'd try out in the comments!

Brace yourselves, K-Pop fans, as the upcoming month of February 2024 is set to be filled with even more exciting debuts and comebacks. Check out the February 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule.

In this post, you can see the artists’ debut, comeback, K-Drama OST, and special Music all in one place!

Which comeback and debut will have you waiting in anticipation?

Let's find out who's making a comeback this February and what songs they're coming back with at a glance!

You can check the list below!

 

February 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule

Feb. 1

- VROMANCE

Digital Single 'Hello'

- BABYMONSTER

Pre-Release Single 'Stuck In The Middle'

- Kim MinSeok

EP "Reminiscence"

 

Feb. 2

- TWICE

Pre-release Single 'I GOT YOU'

- SungKyu (INFINITE)

Remake Digital Single "바람이분다 (이소라)"

 

Feb. 4

- YOUNG POSSE

 

Feb. 5

- P1Harmony

1st Full Album "Kilin' It"

- EPEX

1st Full Album Pre-Release Single 'Graduation Day'

- ICHILLIN'

2nd Pre-Release Song 'DEMIGOD'

 

Feb. 6

- TWICE

English Single 'I GOT YOU (Voyage ver.)'

 

 

Feb. 7

Billlie

Japan 1st Mini Album "Knock-on Effect"

- Lim Kim

Single 'ULT'

 

Feb. 13

- Ten (NCT)

1st Mini Album "TEN"

- BIBI

Double Single 'Bam Yang Gang'

Feb. 14

-  The Wind

2nd Mini Album "Our: YouthTeen"

- WEi

Japan 2nd Mini Album "WAVE"

- MIRAE

Japan 1st Mini Album "RUNNING UP"

- CHUU

Special Single 'Chocolate'

 

 

Feb. 15

- n.SSign

2nd Mini Album "Happy &"

- AIMERS

2nd Single 'SOMEBODY'

- DK (iKON)

1st Solo Album "NAKSEO"

- Cha EunWoo (ASTRO)

1st Mini Album "ENTITY"

- WheeIn (MAMAMOO)

Digital Single 'Wheee' (Prod. Young K (DAY6)

 

Feb. 16

- Lim HyunSik (BTOB)

2nd Mini Album "The Young Man and the Deep Sea"

 

Feb. 17

- Espero X Onestar

Single 'Pray'

 

Feb. 18

- Jang Deok Cheol

Digital Single 'Suddenly'

 

Feb. 19

- LE SSERAFIM

3rd Mini Album "EASY"

 

Feb. 20

- MoonByul (MAMAMOO)

1st Full Album "Starlit of Muse"

- IU

Mini Album "The Winning"

- TRI.BE

4th Single Album "Diamond"

 

Feb. 21

- YuGyeom (GOT7)

1st Album "TRUST ME"

 

Feb. 22

- A.C.E

6th Mini Album "My Girl: My Choice"

- Kim BumSoo

9th Full Album "여행"

- Nam GyuRi

Digital Single 'HALO'

 

Feb. 23

TWICE

13th Mini Album "With YOU-th"

- J-Cera

Single 'Dilemma'

- ASTRO

8th anniversary Special Single 'Circles'

 

Feb. 24

- Yountoven

EP "NE.VOT"

- WooSeok (PENTAGON)

Solo / 1st Single Album 'Empty Paper'

 

Feb. 25

- X:IN

2nd Mini Album "THE REAL"

- BYUL

Digital Single 'My Truth'

- Kim YeonJi

Single 'Hello'

 

Feb. 26

- PLAVE

2nd Mini Album "ASTERIUM : 134-1"

- CRAVITY

7th Mini Album "EVERSHINE"

- TaeYong (NCT)

2nd Mini Album "TAP"

 

Feb. 27

- M.O.N.T

4th Mini Album "IDGAF"

- H1-KEY

"H1-KEYnote" Project 'Deeper'

- Kim DongRyul

 

Feb. 28

- ATEEZ

Japan 3rd Single 'NOT OKAY'

- NOMAD

1st Mini Album "NOMAD"

- NCT WISH

Debut Single 'WISH'

 

Feb. 29

- RESCENE

Pre-Debut Single 'YoYo'

 

 

Did you finish checking the February 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule? If you are curious about Kpopmap's March 2024 comeback & debut schedule, you can check it out at the link below!

In K-Pop there has been an increasing number of K-Pop idols addressing LGBTQ+ issues through their music videos. Many fans love the diversity and for Korean idols to speak out for the LGBTQ+ community. From the female couple in 'Heart Attack' by LOONA's Chuu to the representation of Korea's first openly gay idol, Holland, K-Pop's inclusivity has grown over the years.

We enjoy many groups speaking out and using their platform to support the community. A major way they have shown this is through their music videos. Here are some K-Pop music videos with LGBTQ+ themes that showcase how the genre has become more inclusive over the years. We hope many more groups and idols will openly talk about LGBTQ+ themes and relationships.

 

1. 'Neverland' by Holland

Holland is the very first K-Pop singer in the music industry to come out openly as gay, especially at his debut. In his music video, he portrays the dating scenes of a same-sex couple. They go to the beach, drink together, and overall enjoy each other's company like all couples do. In addition to that, there's a scene where he kissed the male actor that took many by surprise. He has been receiving words of encouragement and support from his fans for being proud of who he is. Holland is not afraid to speak up for the community and he continues to show many stories and themes of same-sex couples through all of his works.

 

2. 'Heart Attack' by LOONA's Chuu

LOONA Chuu's music video became widely popular as the music video addresses liking someone of the same sex. In the music video, Chuu was seen having a crush on a fellow member of LOONA, Yves. For every action done by Yves, Chuu would feel fluttered. With her unique concept, her music video is well-received especially from fans in Europe. In addition to that, Billboard had also written an article praising her music video at the start of 2018. The video is refreshing and adorable. We love seeing the interactions between the couple and Chuu swooning over the girl she has a crush on in the video.

 

3. 'All In' by MONSTA X

'All In' by MONSTA X had a storyline that was interesting and complex but also featured a same-sex couple between the members, HyungWon and MinHyuk. It is hard to deny that the two were portrayed as a couple in the MV and it explores their relationship further as the story progresses. Not only that, the trilogy albums that 'All In' is featured in spells out LGBT with the words Lost, Guilty, Beautiful, and Trilogy.

 

4. 'begin' by OnlyOneOf's YooJung

OnlyOneOf has been very open about their support for the LGBTQ+ community and are never afraid to show it through their works. Their member YooJung portrayed these themes in his solo music video for 'begin'. In the video, YooJung seems to have a crush on another man who often visits his workplace. Not only does the video show the progression between the two, but the lyrics of the song talk about YooJung wanting to embrace the man and queerphobia's effect on the couple as they cannot seem to begin anything due to society's bias.

 

5. 'Please Don't' by K.Will

If you're a veteran K-Pop fan, you might be familiar with K. Will's famous music video for 'Please Don't'. The music video tells a very devastating story. The main character, Seo InGuk, is in turmoil over his best friend and best friend's girlfriend planning for their wedding. Throughout the video, an illusion of the girlfriend is in the car with him and he stares at the wedding photo of the couple. InGuk can't seem to take his eyes off her and even rips the photo in half to express his anger. However, many fans were shocked by a plot twist. InGuk was actually in love with his best friend and imagined the man was in the car the whole time. Many fans were surprised by the twist and it shows the sad reality of many LGBTQ+ members who have not come out to those around them.