YouTube Reveals 2024 Trends in Korea: Top Topics, Creators, and Songs

On December 12, 2024, YouTube unveiled its trend list for the year, highlighting popular topics, top creators, hit songs, and the most popular shorts in Korea.

**2024 YouTube Korea Popular Topics**

YouTube has solidified its role as a hub for fandoms, with sports, content, and artist enthusiasts driving trends. The list of popular topics reflects the subjects that garnered the most attention from domestic users this year. The YouTube Culture & Trends team analyzed various signals, including view counts, upload numbers, and creator activities, to compile this list, which focuses on newly emerged topics or those that saw a significant rise in user interest.

This year, the phenomenon of fandoms creating and sharing diverse content to amplify cultural influence was particularly notable. Sports fans engaged with content related to the Olympics and the AFC Asian Cup, while fandoms for artists like DAY6, QWER, and ILLIT actively produced 'fan content' alongside official releases, fostering communication between artists and fans. Popular content such as 'Queen of Tears', 'Black and White Chef', and 'Jumping with Sunjae' saw fans participating in various forms of content creation, including reactions, parodies, and remixes. According to the 'YouTube Culture & Trends Report: Fandom', 90% of Korean online users aged 14 to 44 who identify as fans reported using YouTube at least once a week to consume content related to their interests.

The emergence of new trends driven by creators also gained attention. A notable example is the 'Maratanghuru Challenge', where creators produced their own songs and choreography, sparking widespread participation. Additionally, the Dubai chocolate trend, which gained traction due to its rarity, saw creators attempting to recreate original recipes and develop new ones, leading to a social phenomenon and product launches.

**2024 YouTube Korea Top 10 Creators**

The list of top creators, based on domestic subscriber growth, featured those showcasing candid and joyful daily lives rooted in healthy relationships. 'Life Recording' (인생 녹음 중), which animated the honest conversations of a couple married for seven years, ranked second, while 'UNDER WORLD', capturing the comedic daily life of adorable pets, took third place. The 'Taeyomine' channel, portraying a baby's charming life from a parent's perspective, ranked sixth, and 'Hello, it's Choi Hwajung' (안녕하세요 최화정이에요), showcasing the honest and healthy single life of broadcaster Choi Hwajung, came in seventh.

**2024 YouTube Korea Top 10 Songs**

In the top ten songs list, nine tracks were by female artists, with the band QWER, formed through fitness creator Kim Gye-ran's YouTube series, taking the top spot with 'Addicted to Worries' (고민중독). Other notable entries included aespa's 'Supernova' (2nd) and (G)I-DLE's 'I Absolutely Hate Being Sick' (4th). Female solo artists gained popularity with relatable songs, particularly ROSÉ's collaboration with Bruno Mars on 'APT.', which debuted at fifth place. Among boy groups, TWS's 'Our First Meeting Didn't Go as Planned' was the only entry at sixth place, riding the shorts challenge wave.

**2024 YouTube Korea Shorts Top 10 Songs**

The list of the most popular songs used in shorts featured trending challenge background music, including 'Maratanghuru', 'Tiramisu Cake', and 'Naruto Dance'. Creators showcased their creativity by reinterpreting existing challenges or creating new ones that resonated with audiences. SEO EVE's 'Maratanghuru' sparked a challenge based on original music and choreography, while 'Tiramisu Cake' gained renewed attention through creative challenges, evolving into various trend versions.

Additionally, Bobby Caldwell's 'What You Won't Do For Love' and '一笑江湖' (used in the Naruto dance challenge) ranked high, highlighting Korean users' active participation in global shorts trends. Other K-pop hits like ILLIT's 'Magnetic' and IVE's 'HEYA' also made the list, reflecting the dance challenge craze among fans.

Moreover, the global popularity of diverse Korean content and culture was evident. The Jeonggwanjang Red Sparks professional volleyball team formed a fandom thanks to Indonesian player Megawati Pertiwi, making it onto Indonesia's popular topics list this year. Additionally, K-pop girl group BABYMONSTER's 'SHEESH' ranked fifth among the top songs in Indonesia.

The YouTube Culture & Trends team also noted the global trend of the KIA Tigers professional baseball team's cheerleading dance, known as the 'Bikibiki Dance'. This dance, set to a remix of JTL's 'My Lecon' by Indonesian DJ Prengky Gantay, gained popularity for its catchy melody and simple choreography. Korean creators popularized the dance, leading to participation from the Fubon Guardians in Taiwan, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders in the U.S., and even pop star Olivia Rodrigo, establishing it as a worldwide trend. YouTube analyzed this trend as a prime example of how online content transcends regions to shape popular culture.