TikTok is the newest social media that's been taking over not only the U.S. but in South Korea as well.
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TikTok has been well-received, mainly by Gen Z in South Korea, and it's becoming viral because of the memes and all the challenges that people can partake in. The app grew bigger, especially in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first began. Ever since then, it's been adding more users for TikTok Korea.
While TikTok is popular in the States and quite possibly many other countries worldwide, each country's trends are different. South Korea has its own trend and popularity of various Tik Tok challenges, and now it's quite common to see many K-POP groups post their own challenges. Unfortunately, not all of them become too viral. Today, we're going to take the time to look at a few of the TikTok challenges that really blew up in South Korea!
1) Any Song Challenge
While this wasn't the first "official" TikTok challenge, this song was definitely a factor in getting TikTok's name out there to Koreans. This song was released on January 13, 2020, and ZICO took advantage of the concept of a "dance challenge." The result? It became extremely viral -- the song itself was so popular that it's ranked as the #1 song of 2020 on Melon's yearly charts. ZICO did a good job with marketing by pairing with various stars, such as Hwasa and Chungha, to get the challenge up and running. The song is not only easy to dance along to, but the track itself is just a bop. All things said, it can be sure that ZICO was definitely a pioneer for TikTok challenges in South Korea.
2) Making a Lover Challenge
This song by SS501 was actually released over a decade ago, back in 2009, and was featured as the OST for drama "Boys over Flowers." Fast forward ten years and this song became one of the many popular TikToks in South Korea. With an easy-to-follow choreography and pretty cute poses, this became a hot TikTok amongst couples!
3) NUNUNANA Challenge
If ZICO was the main character of the first half of 2020 for TikTok, then Jessi definitely takes the crown for the latter half of 2020. Jessi released "NUNUNANA" in the summer of 2020, and this TikTok became huge. She posted on her Instagram at least ten different versions of this challenge, and this song rose to fame shortly afterwards. Upon its initial release, the song didn't hit high in the charts, but as the song was getting more and more exposed via social media apps, it became a banger.
4) Meghan Trainor "Title" Challenge
Many people only remember "All About That Bass" from this album, but that's not the case for South Koreans. On TikTok and Reels, many people began to make a super easy choreography from this catchy tune, and it popped off. Though the challenge does exist in the States, it reallllllly blew up in South Korea.
5) #WANNABEITZY Challenge
ITZY's iconic song "Wanna Be" was also a popular category in the TikTok world, as Ryujin's famous shoulder dance became a TikTok trend. It's actually quite challenging to execute.. aka why it became a challenge!
6) Permission to Dance Challenge
While this song's challenge was officially accredited to YouTube shorts, that did not stop Gen Z and K-POP fans from doing it on TikTok as well! "Permission to Dance" by global superstar group BTS was not only easy to follow, but they used sign language to interpret the dance, making it even more meaningful. The song was meant to give hope, especially in this world of uncertainty during the pandemic, and it surely gave a lot of people joy and hope.
7) Here We Go Challenge
Not K-POP-related, but this TikTok & Reels became extremely viral -- basically a video of people partying it up with this song in the background. One person would start it off, and the others would respond. It was perfect for home parties and gatherings, which became more common in South Korea due to the pandemic. It was a way to not only have fun with friends but let your stress out as well!
TikTok seems like it's never going to end, and other social media platforms are all coming up with their own versions, such as Instagram Reels or YouTube shorts. The short-form video genre is getting only bigger from now, and it looks like the hype will not die down in Korea either. What do you think of these challenges? Did you partake in any of them? Which one was your favorite? Maybe we missed one that you didn't like -- let us know in the comments below, and we'll be back with the second edition!
