Trot Singer Song Ga-in Leads South Korea’s Google Trends as Baseball, Burgers and Politics Draw Interest
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South Korean trot singer Song Ga-in topped the country’s real-time Google trending searches on Oct. 21, 2026, amid renewed interest in her 15-year friendship with fellow singer Ahn Sung-hoon. The day’s other widely searched subjects ranged from American baseball pitcher Ryan Weiss and McDonald’s new Big Arch burger to a former justice minister’s prison sentence.
The rankings and search totals are based on Google Trends data for South Korea. Google describes the figures as approximate, relative estimates rather than exact search counts.
Song Ga-in and a friendship forged before fame
Song recorded more than 2,000 searches after reports that she and Ahn would revisit their years as little-known performers on KBS 2TV’s cooking and variety program “Fun-Staurant.” Trot is a distinctly Korean style of popular music known for its sentimental lyrics and vocal flourishes.
The two singers supported each other for 15 years, beginning during their trainee days. Song helped with Ahn’s makeup and sometimes acted as his manager as they traveled to events around the country.
When Ahn was operating a restaurant, Song encouraged him to apply for “Mr. Trot 2,” a televised singing competition. He ultimately won and used the 500 million won prize to buy a home for his parents. Song said she was happy to see him succeed.
Interest in Song also followed news that a copyright lawsuit filed against her in the United States had been dismissed. Her agency explained the case and its outcome through her official fan community.
Ryan Weiss fuels speculation about a return to Korean baseball
Ryan Weiss, a right-handed pitcher with the Houston Astros, ranked second with more than 500 searches as fans debated whether he could return to the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, South Korea’s top professional league.
Weiss played for Hanwha from June 2024 through December 2025. In nine major league appearances this year, he went 0-3 with a 7.62 ERA. He was sent to the minors in May and did not return to the majors, posting a 5.42 ERA at Triple-A.
His wife, Hailey Weiss, said the couple still did not know which team he would play for next year and noted that other clubs could not contact him until five days after the World Series ended. Houston holds a $5 million club option for next season. If the Astros decline it, Weiss would receive a $500,000 buyout and become a free agent. Hanwha retains priority negotiating rights if he returns to the KBO.
McDonald’s prepares a larger Korean burger
The Big Arch ranked third ahead of its limited-time South Korean launch on Oct. 22. McDonald’s Korea held a media tasting a day earlier at its COEX location in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
The burger uses a 4.5-inch bun and includes two 113-gram all-beef patties and three slices of white cheddar. At 374 grams, it is about 68% heavier than the 223-gram Big Mac. It is priced at 12,400 won.
Former justice minister receives nine-year sentence
Former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae ranked fourth after the Seoul High Court sentenced him to nine years in prison on charges that included performing an important role in an insurrection.
Park had received a 25-year sentence at trial. The appeals court reduced the punishment by 16 years after finding him not guilty on some of the principal allegations and on an abuse-of-authority charge. The liberal Democratic Party expressed strong regret over the sharp reduction.
Games, television and everyday issues complete the list
“League of Legends” ranked fifth with more than 1,000 searches after a five-hour maintenance period and the release of Patch 26.21. The update added a headliner system, 35 new augments and progression missions to the game’s “ARAM: Mayhem” mode.
The reality program “Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung 2” placed sixth with more than 5,000 searches. Actor Ko So-young ranked seventh after entertainment coverage highlighted her surprise at a 700,000 won price for a traditional gold ring given to babies, stories about her husband, actor Jang Dong-gun, bringing home food from popular restaurants, and a luxury item she discovered in an old jewelry box.
Volkswagen ranked eighth after Hankook Tire announced that it would supply its iON electric-vehicle tires for Volkswagen’s next-generation compact ID. Polo and ID. Cross models.
Chang-dong, a neighborhood in northern Seoul, placed ninth amid interest in preparations for the opening of Seoul Arena, including a residents’ briefing organized by Dobong District and the arena operator.
AI glasses rounded out the top 10 as South Koreans discussed how test supervisors could detect the devices during the country’s high-stakes college entrance examination.
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