How Food Trends Go Viral in Korea: Short Videos, SNS and the Dopamine Effect
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Food trends in Korea now spread less by long reviews and more by short videos and social media that highlight visual and sensory moments. Platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok favor foods with striking textures and visuals—examples include jelly-eating clips, ‘Dubai chewy cookie’ (두바이쫀득쿠) and butter rice cake (버터떡). Viral posts, travel vlogs and celebrity mentions turn local items—such as Gwangju’s pumpkin injeolmi rice cake (창억떡 호박인절미)—into must-visit spots. Social buzz often leads to real-world shortages and “sold out” scenes in stores, and coverage in news or variety shows further amplifies trends across age groups. The cycle is fast: platforms seed attention, communities and articles magnify it, and then interest quickly moves on to the next visually stimulating food. Overall, food today functions as short-lived pop-culture content as much as cuisine.
