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South Korea’s trending Google searches on Sept. 23, 2026, reflected a wide mix of labor disputes, professional baseball, entertainment news, politics and consumer concerns. Google Trends orders its trending list separately from its approximate search-volume estimates, meaning a term with more searches did not necessarily rank higher.
Naver Z strike tops the list
“Strike” ranked No. 1 after about 120 union members at Naver Z, the operator of the Zepeto metaverse platform, began a one-day walkout demanding that the company reverse a wage freeze. The union also announced plans for a five-day strike next month.
Veteran actor Lim Hyun-sik ranked second after discussing his health and finances in a video released by fellow actor Park Won-sook. Lim, who made his television debut with broadcaster MBC in 1969, said maintaining trees at his home had once cost 10 million won in a month. His suggestion that he and Park live together in a modest apartment also generated entertainment headlines.
Baseball injuries and an Asian Games gold
The Samsung Lions, a Korea Baseball Organization team based in Daegu, placed third amid injuries to the coaching staff and pitching rotation. Hitting coach Park Han-yi was removed from the top-team roster after breaking his ribs in a fall, with coach Bae Young-sub joining the club in his place. Pitcher Choi Won-tae was also sidelined by discomfort in his left hip, leaving Samsung to consider a replacement starter or a bullpen game against the SSG Landers on Sept. 25.
Actor Jeon Do-yeon ranked fourth as images of her with blond and red hair drew attention, including her first platinum-blond look since her debut. Interest was also boosted by the limited theatrical opening of “Possible Love,” starring Jeon and Sol Kyung-gu.
Shooter Choo Ga-eun ranked fifth after winning the women’s 10-meter air pistol event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Choo scored an Asian-record 246.3 points in the final, earning South Korea’s first shooting gold medal of the Games. She also won silver in the team competition.
Appliance problems, politics and a proposed dome
“Samsung refrigerator update” ranked sixth after a software update left some Samsung Electronics refrigerators inoperable. The company began emergency recovery work and said technicians would make repair visits during the Chuseok holiday, one of South Korea’s most important family holidays.
The Korean term for “mother-in-law” placed seventh with the day’s largest approximate search volume, 20,000-plus. Interest followed a television appearance in which broadcaster Christina discussed walking naked or wearing a thong in front of her mother-in-law.
Politicians Chun Ha-ram and Na Kyung-won ranked eighth and ninth, respectively. Chun drew attention after the Reform Party’s emergency leadership committee, which set a goal of winning 10 seats in the next parliamentary election, called on him to run in southern Gyeonggi province. Searches for Na rose after she criticized public safety conditions in response to a video showing two foreign men blocking a road and attacking a vehicle.
Duryu Park in Daegu rounded out the top 10 after the city announced plans to seek government support for a proposed 20,000-seat domed stadium. The project is estimated to cost 500 billion won and is targeted for completion in 2034.
The rankings were based on Google Trends’ real-time list for South Korea on Sept. 23. The accompanying search totals are approximate figures provided by Google and do not necessarily correspond directly with each term’s position on the list.
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