South Korea TikTok Trends: The Recommendation Wave

No newcomers, and a mostly local board

Nothing on South Korea's TikTok board today is new this week. Every hashtag entered this country's data at least 30 days ago. The oldest is #뉴스 at 52 days, and four tags (#shorts, #웃긴영상, #영화추천 and #드라마추천) were all first seen exactly 30 days ago. First seen means when a tag entered the data, not that it has trended every day since.

The board is also unusually local. Eight of the ten hashtags are trending only in South Korea. The exceptions are #shorts, also trending in GB, JP and the US, and #roblox, also trending in AU.

The recommendation cluster

The clearest story is a group of tags built around recommending things to watch.

#틱톡인생작콘테스트

#틱톡인생작콘테스트 ("TikTok Life's Best Work Contest") has 46.1M views across 9,642 videos and was first seen 38 days ago. It appears to be a TikTok contest with official rules and prizes. People enter by posting recommendation clips of variety shows, dramas, anime and movies. TikTok's discover pages for the contest were updated in September and October 2026, which fits with it still running. No official announcement with dates or prize details could be found, so check the in-app contest page before entering.

Entries usually also carry #예능추천, #드라마추천, #애니추천 and #영화추천, and two of those companion tags are on today's board.

#드라마추천 and #영화추천

#드라마추천 ("drama recommendations") has 36.2M views on 7,630 videos. It shows up as one of the tags used most often on contest entries, including drama recaps with over 10,000 likes.

#영화추천 ("movie recommendations") has 37.2M views on 7,665 videos. It is a general tag for short movie recaps and recommendations, often paired with #영화리뷰 ("movie review") and sometimes with short-drama tags. Some of its posts are contest entries too.

Both tags entered South Korea's data 30 days ago, eight days after the contest tag did. That timing fits the idea that the contest is lifting them, but no source confirms it.

#kdrama

#kdrama has 40.8M views but only 2,177 videos, the fewest on the board. That works out to roughly 18,700 views per video, the highest ratio here. It is a general tag for Korean drama clips and recommendations. Recent posts include recaps of older series such as "Revenge of Others" (2022) and AI-generated "mini drama" compilations. No single show or event explains its rise. It was first seen 48 days ago, ten days before the contest tag entered the data.

#뉴스: the longest-running tag

#뉴스 ("news") has 67.3M views across 5,548 videos and was first seen 52 days ago, the earliest of any tag on today's board. It is trending only in South Korea. A DiscoTok roundup listed it among the country's top 10 hashtags on 16 September 2026, with about 67.8M views then. It is unclear what news is driving it or why it is trending now.

The broad tags: #shorts, #korea and #웃긴영상

#shorts leads the board with 67.5M views on 11,796 videos. It is the only tag here also trending in three other countries (GB, JP and the US). It was first seen 30 days ago. Why it is trending is not known.

#korea has the most videos on the board, 22,882, with 59.3M views. That is roughly 2,600 views per video, the lowest ratio here, so a lot of creators are posting under it and views are spread thinly. It was first seen 37 days ago and is trending only in South Korea. Its cause is not known.

#웃긴영상 ("funny videos") has 46.9M views on just 3,698 videos, around 12,700 views per video. It was first seen 30 days ago and is trending only here. Its cause is not known either.

Two puzzles: #xh and #roblox

#xh has 41.2M views on 5,510 videos and was first seen 42 days ago. On TikTok's #xh tag page it is mostly used with #xuhuong and #xuhuongtiktok in Vietnamese-language posts, plus some Douyin/China and K-pop clips. Nothing found explains why it is trending in South Korea, though it is trending only here.

#roblox has 38.6M views on 5,266 videos, was first seen 45 days ago and is also trending in AU. Its cause is not known.

What this means for creators in Korea

If you make recap or recommendation content, the contest cluster is the obvious opening. Pair #틱톡인생작콘테스트 with #드라마추천 or #영화추천 the way existing entries do, and confirm the rules in the app first.

#kdrama has relatively few videos for its views, so it is less crowded than #korea, where more than 22,000 videos compete.

For #xh, #roblox, #korea and #웃긴영상, the reason behind the trend is unknown. Use them only if your video actually fits.

Key Takeaways

• No hashtag on South Korea's board is new this week; all were first seen 30 to 52 days ago.
• Eight of ten tags are trending only in South Korea; only #shorts and #roblox also trend elsewhere.
• #틱톡인생작콘테스트 is a recommendation-clip contest, and its companion tags #드라마추천 and #영화추천 are also on the board.
• #kdrama has the highest views per video, about 18,700, while #korea is the most crowded with 22,882 videos.
• #뉴스 has 67.3M views today and was listed with about 67.8M views on 16 September 2026, but what is driving it is unknown.