What are the most popular searches on Korean culture?

"Valentine's Day" was the most-searched term on the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture website between 2021 and 2025, according to the National Folk Museum of Korea's analysis of search trends during the period, released Thursday.

Among the most-viewed entries were Chuseok, Korea's autumn harvest holiday, and "sambok," the three hottest days of summer in the traditional calendar. Other frequently searched topics included Hangeul Day and the anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement.

Nearly 1.69 million people visited the website during the first half of this year, reflecting growing domestic and international interest in the country's traditional culture.

The online encyclopedia is the country's only comprehensive digital reference dedicated to Korean folk culture.

Since 2004, the museum has compiled subject-specific encyclopedias covering key aspects of Korean folk culture, including seasonal customs, life-cycle rituals, folk beliefs, food, clothing, housing and traditional games.

The website currently contains more than 12,000 entries in 32 subject areas.

The encyclopedia's readership has grown sharply over the past decade. Annual users increased from about 210,000 in 2015 to roughly 700,000 in 2018, 2.04 million in 2020 and 3 million in 2022, before reaching a record 3.3 million last year.

The 2025 figure marked an 11 percent increase from the previous year and was more than 15 times higher than the 2015 total, according to the museum.

If current trends continue, the museum expects the number of annual users to reach about 3.5 million this year.

More than 30 percent of users last year accessed the website from overseas, a museum official said. The Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore is currently available in Korean, English, Chinese and Spanish.

"Users have consistently visited the site from the United States as well as countries across Asia, Europe and South America," the official said.

The museum expects traffic to increase further in the second half of the year. Beginning later this month, it plans to launch an English-language Encyclopedia of Hallyu on the website, offering explanations of K-pop and broader aspects of Korean culture, including food and traditional games.